Lake Hamilton is a town in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,537 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The original name for the main lake and its community was formerly called "Lake Hambleton", which had unknown origins, and ruled out that it was named from Alexander Hamilton.
The community was resettled by non-indigenous people in 1913, when the first home was built along with other platted buildings and other infrastructure.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (22.51%) is water.
left|thumb|[[United States Post Office of Lake Hamilton]]
The dominant geographic feature in the city is the large lake after which the city is named. Lake Hamilton is part of the Chain of Lakes. The lake has a surface area of and an average depth of .
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the Town of Pierson has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+Lake Hamilton racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|White (NH)
|730
|659
|59.30%
|42.88%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|296
|258
|24.05%
|16.79%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|3
|7
|0.24%
|0.46%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|10
|18
|0.81%
|1.17%
|-
|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)
|0
|0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|6
|40
|0.49%
|2.60%
|-
|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)
|21
|52
|1.71%
|3.38%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|165
|503
|13.40%
|32.73%
|-
|Total
|1,231
|1,537
|
|
|-
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Lake Hamilton had a population of 1,537. The median age was 38.6 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.4 males age 18 and over.
82.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 17.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 551 households in Lake Hamilton, of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.1% were married-couple households, 16.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 1,231 people, 474 households, and 284 families residing in the town.
2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 1,304 people, 482 households, and 362 families in the town. The population density was . There were 535 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 71.09% White, 25.15% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 2.30% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.06%.