Hamilton is a city in, and the county seat of Harris County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama metropolitan statistical area. The population was 1,680 at the 2020 census, up from 307 at the 2000 census.

History

Hamilton was founded in 1827 as seat of the newly formed Harris County. It was incorporated as a town in 1828 and as a city in 1903. The city was named for U.S. Secretary of the Navy and governor of South Carolina Paul Hamilton (1762–1816). In 1912, a black woman and three black men in Hamilton were lynched while being held for questioning in the murder of a white landowner. Coverage by local newspapers at the time suggested the four were guilty.

Geography

Hamilton is located slightly northeast of the center of Harris County, at the southern base of the Pine Mountain Range in the Piedmont region of the state. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 km2, all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,016 people, 339 households, and 179 families residing in the city. By 2020, its population grew to 1,680.

Education

The city is home to three of the seven schools in the county:

Infrastructure

Highways in Hamilton include U.S. Route 27 and Georgia State Route 116.