Hamlet, North Carolina

Hamlet is located at 34°53′17″N 79°42′22″W (34.887936, -79.706201).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.14 square miles (13.3 km²), of which 5.05 sq mi (13.1 km²) is land and 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km²) (1.75%) is water.[6]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 6,018 people, 2,453 households, and 1,682 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,192.4 inhabitants per square mile (460.4/km²).[6] There were 2,738 housing units at an average density of 542.5/sq mi (209.5/km²).[6] 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.

Hamlet is home to Fairview Heights Elementary School (K-5), Monroe Avenue Elementary School (K-5), Hamlet Middle School (6-8), Richmond Early College High School (9-13) and Richmond Community College.[8]

On September 3, 1991, a fire broke out at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant in the city, resulting from a failure in a hydraulic line. 25 workers were killed and 55 injured in the fire, trapped behind locked fire doors. In 11 years of operation, the plant had never received a safety inspection. Investigators believe a safety inspection might have prevented the disaster.[9]

A federal investigation was launched. Owner Emmett Roe received a 20-year prison sentence, of which he served only four years. The company received the highest fine in the history of North Carolina.[10] As a result, the federal government took over enforcement of much of North Carolina's worker safety laws.[11] Survivors and victims' families accused the fire service and city of Hamlet of racism, leading to two monuments to the tragedy being erected. The plant was never reopened.

Hamlet is at the junction of three major CSX rail lines, one running north towards Raleigh, North Carolina, as well as south towards Savannah, Georgia, and the second running east towards Wilmington, North Carolina, and west towards Bostic, North Carolina. At Monroe, North Carolina, the line splits northwest to Charlotte and Bostic, and one continues west to Atlanta, Georgia, originally on to Birmingham, Alabama; however, tracks were removed in 1987. The third line splits off from the second just east of Hamlet and continues towards Charleston, South Carolina. It has been cited as the prime spot in North Carolina for train watchers.[12]

The Hamlet Passenger Station, served by Amtrak, sits downtown at the junction of the lines. The station was restored and reopened in 2004. Hamlet yard resides to the north of downtown. This is the former Seaboard Air Line Railroad yard built in 1954, replacing an older yard closer to downtown. A six-axle diesel locomotive preserved on static display at the depot is the former Seaboard Air Line 1114, an EMD SDP35; one of only 35 ever built, it has been repainted into her original SAL scheme and numbered with her original number it held on the Seaboard... SAL 1114. A wooden caboose, SAL 5241, is coupled behind the locomotive.

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

Hamlet was the largest city in Richmond County at one time,[13] but it has been surpassed by neighboring Rockingham. In the early part of the 20th century, more than 30 trains stopped in Hamlet daily, en route to New York City, New Orleans, Suffolk and cities in Florida.[12] Known as "The Hub of the Seaboard," Hamlet had seven hotels and numerous boarding houses and restaurants catering to transferring rail passengers.[12] "Hamlet was like the Charlotte airport is today," said Miranda Chavis, manager of the railroad museum.[12]

During its period as a major rail passenger transfer point, Hamlet had an opera house that counted Enrico Caruso among its performers.[12]

The Annual Seaboard Festival, honoring the Seaboard Air Line, is a major local event.

In the 1960s, city license tags proclaimed Hamlet as "The Hub of The Seaboard."

The Seaboard Air Line merged with its rival, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, on July 1, 1967, becoming the Seaboard Coast Line; in 1983 this became the Seaboard System, and in 1986, after combination with the holdings of the Chessie System, was renamed CSX Transportation. Recently the diesel repair shop, which first opened in 1954 but had later been closed, has been reopened and tracks that were removed in the 1980s were reinstalled to accommodate the growing diesel shop.

In addition to the Hamlet Passenger Station, the Main Street Commercial Historic District is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[14]

In 1990, Hamlet was awarded the All-America City Award by the National Civic League. The award recognizes communities that leverage civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation to successfully address local issues.[15]

• John Coltrane, One of the greatest saxophone players of all time and one of the world's most well known jazz musicians. Jazz saxophonist composer, recipient of Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Dr. Allen Mask, WRAL Health Team
• Justin Malachi, actor, writer, and director.
• Ashton Locklear, two-time United States women's artistic gymnastics gold medalist in the uneven bars and 2014 World Champion
• Tom Wicker, former Washington bureau chief and columnist for The New York Times.
• Frederick C. Branch, the first African-American Marine officer.
• Wayne Goodwin, former state legislator, was the first Hamlet native elected to statewide office in North Carolina. He became North Carolina's Insurance Commissioner as a result of the 2008 election and was re-elected in 2012.
• Louis Breeden, former football player, defensive back with the Cincinnati Bengals.
• Perry Williams, former football player, cornerback with the New York Giants.
• Dannell Ellerbe, football player, linebacker with the Miami Dolphins.
• Mike Quick, former football player, wide receiver with the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Melvin Ingram, football player, linebacker with the San Diego Chargers.
• J. Kenneth Lee, attorney, one of the first two African-American graduates of the Law School at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, member of the UNC Law School's Hall of Fame. Lee was the first lawyer[16] for the "Greensboro Four/A&T Four", who were instrumental in one of the earliest of the sit-ins during the civil rights movement, and who were students of his alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. Lee also founded the American Federal Savings and Loan—the first Black/African-American owned Savings and Loan in North Carolina.

• City Of Hamlet Information about the town of Hamlet.
• Our Hamlet* History and pictures of Hamlet, NC