Hamilton County, New York

Hamilton County is a county in New York, United States, lying entirely within the Adirondack Park. It had a population of 5,107 at the 2020 census and covers 1,808 square miles (4,680 km2) centred near 43°42′N 74°23′W.

Lake Pleasant is the county seat, and its postal code is 12108. The county has nine towns, one incorporated village, and a scatter of unincorporated hamlets, but no incorporated city. It sits in the Eastern time zone.

Towns & Villages in Hamilton County

Hamilton County has no cities. Its nine towns are the primary units of local government, each holding one or more hamlets; only Speculator is a separate incorporated village. The table below marks incorporated places (Town, Village) and unincorporated hamlets (Unincorp.), with the parent town noted for each.

Two names repeat in the table because a town and its own hamlet share it: the town of Long Lake contains the hamlet of Long Lake, and the town of Indian Lake contains the hamlet of Indian Lake. Speculator, the county’s only incorporated village, sits inside the town of Lake Pleasant but is governed separately from it.

ZIP Codes

• 12108 — Lake Pleasant (county seat)
• 12164 — Speculator
• 12842 — Indian Lake (also serves Sabael and Blue Mountain Lake’s Indian Lake side)
• 12812 — Blue Mountain Lake
• 12847 — Long Lake
• 13436 — Raquette Lake
• 13360 — Inlet
• 12139 — Piseco
• 12190 — Wells
• 12123 — Benson
• 13354 — Morehouse (Morehouseville)

Small hamlets such as Sabattis, Deerland, Hope Falls and Griffin are served by a neighboring hamlet’s post office rather than carrying their own ZIP code.

Geography

Hamilton County is the only New York county lying entirely inside the Adirondack Park, and it is the least densely populated county east of the Mississippi River. The terrain is forested mountains and glacial lakes, with the Sacandaga, Hudson and Cedar rivers and lakes including Indian Lake, Long Lake, Raquette Lake, Piseco Lake and Blue Mountain Lake. Roughly 5% of the county’s area is water. It borders Franklin County to the north, Essex County to the northeast, Warren County to the east, Saratoga County to the southeast, Fulton County to the south, and Herkimer County to the west. St. Lawrence County touches the county’s far northwest corner but has no live page to link.

Demographics

Hamilton County had 5,107 residents at the 2020 census, the fewest of any New York county. Its largest places are the hamlet of Long Lake, with 547 residents, and the village of Speculator, with 324. Median household income runs well below the New York median of $82,095, reflecting the county’s remote, tourism- and forestry-based economy. With 1,717 square miles of land and about 5,107 people, density works out to roughly 3 people per square mile, among the lowest of any county in the eastern United States.

Economy & Local Life

Tourism, seasonal camps and second-home ownership drive the local economy, built around the Adirondack lakes and the Northville-Placid Trail. State and local government, forestry, and hospitality are the largest employers; Hamilton County has no incorporated city and no traffic lights. Speculator and Indian Lake host the county’s main winter-sports facilities, and Raquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake are historic centers of the 19th-century Adirondack “Great Camp” era, including the Sagamore great camp near Raquette Lake.

History

Hamilton County was created on April 12, 1816, from parts of Montgomery County, and organized for local government purposes in 1847. It is named for Alexander Hamilton, the only New York delegate to sign the U.S. Constitution and the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. For decades after its creation the county remained sparsely settled, attached administratively to neighboring counties for court purposes; its 19th- and early-20th-century growth came from logging, guiding and the Great Camp resorts built by wealthy New York City families around Raquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake.

Getting There

NY-8, NY-10, NY-28, NY-28N and NY-30 are the county’s main highways; there is no interstate and no rail service.

• Speculator — 55 miles north of Albany
• Indian Lake — 45 miles southwest of Lake Placid
• Long Lake — 35 miles east of Old Forge
• Inlet — 30 miles northeast of Utica

The nearest commercial airport is Albany International Airport, roughly 60 to 90 miles from most of the county depending on the town.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Hamilton County, New York?
It is in the north-central Adirondack region of New York, entirely within Adirondack Park, bordered by Franklin, Essex, Warren, Saratoga, Fulton and Herkimer counties.

What is the population of Hamilton County?
5,107 people at the 2020 census, the smallest population of any New York county.

How big is Hamilton County?
1,808 square miles (4,680 km2) total, of which 1,717 square miles is land — nearly the size of Delaware, but with only a few thousand residents.

What is the county seat of Hamilton County?
Lake Pleasant.

How many towns are in Hamilton County?
Nine: Arietta, Benson, Hope, Indian Lake, Inlet, Lake Pleasant, Long Lake, Morehouse and Wells, plus the incorporated village of Speculator.

What ZIP codes are in Hamilton County?
Including 12108 (Lake Pleasant), 12164 (Speculator), 12842 (Indian Lake), 12847 (Long Lake), 13360 (Inlet), 12139 (Piseco) and 13436 (Raquette Lake).

Does Hamilton County have any cities or traffic lights?
No. It has no incorporated city, and it is the only county in New York with no permanent traffic light.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New York.