Hamlet, North Carolina

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Hamlet is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 6,018 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Hamlet is located at (34.887936, -79.706201).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (1.75%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,018 people, 2,453 households, and 1,682 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,738 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 61.85% White, 34.51% African American, 1.61% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.48% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population.

There were 2,453 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,013, and the median income for a family was $36,234. Males had a median income of $28,958 versus $23,397 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,764. About 18.4% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

Schools and other Education Facility

Hamlet is home to a Fairview Heights Elementary School (K-3), Monroe Avenue Middle School (4-6), Hamlet Junior High School (7-9), and Richmond Community College.

Hamlet Chicken Plant Disaster of 1991

On September 3, 1991, a grease fire broke out at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant in the city, killing 25 people. A monument now stands where the plant was. Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon wrote a song about this called Hamlet Chicken Plant Disaster.

Additional information

Hamlet is a major junction of two major CSX railines heading north towards Raleigh, NC, Washington D.C., and New York and south towards Florida. The recently reopened Hamlet Passenger Station, served by Amtrak, sits downtown at the junction of the lines. Hamlet yard resides to the north of downtown.

The National Railroad Museum and Hall of Fame is also located in Hamlet.

Hamlet was the largest city in Richmond County at one time, but it has been usurped by neighboring Rockingham since the decline of the railroad industry.

Birthplace of legendary Jazz innovator, saxophonist John Coltrane and of the first African-American Marine officer, Frederick C. Branch.

The Annual Seaboard Festival, honoring the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, which formerly had a stop in Hamlet and was a important part of the local economy, is a major local event.

"The Voice of Hamlet, NC" also know as the "HUB OF THE CSX STREAM" is also located here. The stream began broadcasting on August 11, 2007 and is dedicated to streaming all CSX radio traffic in Hamlet over the world wide web. This stream began as an idea and was soon turned into a reality for Garrett W. Robson, the owner and operator. The main goal for "The Voice of Hamlet, NC" is to allow anyone to hear trains passing threw Hamlet, NC and listen to the vast operations going on in the famous Hamlet Yard.

Notable natives

• John Coltrane, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer.

References

External links

• City Of HamletInformation about the town of Hamlet.

• HUB OF THE CSX STREAMRailroad internet stream dedicated to broadcasting CSX radio traffic in and around Hamlet, NC over the internet.

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Last updated on Saturday June 28, 2008 at 05:55:22 PDT (GMT -0700)
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