Despite being a small town, Hamlet is home to numerous famous residents, including professional football players, politicians, and entertainers. In particular, this is where jazz saxophonist John Coltrane was born.
Hamlet is, well, a hamlet--or small town--in North Carolina, with a population of 6,495
Despite being a small town, Hamlet is home to numerous famous residents, including professional football players, politicians, and entertainers. In particular, this is where jazz saxophonist John Coltrane was born.
Hamlet is, well, a hamlet--or small town--in North Carolina, with a population of 6,495. It has been around since the 1800s, and like many old, small towns, it only rose in popularity once some railroad tracks were laid through it. The railroad may not be the way of the future anymore (or maybe it is, depending on your point of view), but you can still check out the Railroad Passenger Station, which is now considered a historic landmark. No matter who you are, this Shakespearean sounding town has plenty to offer anyone and everyone!
It's time to take a look at what you will find when you search for home rentals in Hamlet. One of the best parts about this little town is the decent vacancy status that is right on par with the national average. This means that the housing search is not really competitive, so you won't exactly have to jump out of bed at the crack to begin looking for places to rent in Hamlet. Instead, you can take your time, stretch a little bit, and enjoy your morning coffee before you set out on your search for that perfect house or apartment rental.
Housing Prices
So the vacancy rate is pretty good, and the news just keeps getting better! The price to buy a home here is really cheap, like half the state average and a little over one third the national average price. Fancy that! If you plan to rent, you'll enjoy similar savings since the rental price is typically half the national average. So maybe you can stop looking for one bedroom apartments to squeeze into and instead set your sights on larger rentals, like 3 bedroom houses for rent. Yeah, you're pretty much livin' the dream here.
Housing Types
The types of houses you will find here depend on where you decide to settle down in this town. But no matter what, you can rest assured that more than half the homes here are single-family houses. If you stick to the more suburban areas, you'll also find some apartments for rent while the more rural parts of town have lots of mobile homes. And in both types of settings, about three fourths of the homes have three or four bedrooms while around one quarter have zero to two.
Ages of Homes in Hamlet
Surely you will want to know how old the home you will be living in is. In the suburban area near the center of town, most homes were built between 1940 and 1969, which means you'll get some nostalgic charm. Of course, you can still find newer homes around town, especially if you stick with the more rural area, where more than half of the homes were constructed between 1970 and 1999.
The Leasing Process
As soon as you find the home you want in Hamlet, you should be prepared to sign the lease. Whether you are just renting the house or apartment for a few months or at least a year, the landlord will want to make sure you can pay the rent. This means he or she will look at your rental and credit histories. You'll also need to bring your last few pay stubs to show you make enough money to afford a home in Hamlet. With the super low housing prices, even proof of a part-time job should be enough. Oh yeah, and bring a check or money order for the inevitable deposit you'll have to put down.
This town features a little over 5 square miles, with a teeny tiny amount of that being water. So chances are good you'll end up with a home on land, but hey, you never know. Bring your water wings and take a look at the main neighborhoods in this small town.
City Center: This neighborhood makes up the bulk of Hamlet, and that's probably good because it is considered a pretty affordable area. You will find a few small lakes here, such as Hamlet City Lake, which is a fitting name for a body of water in this neighborhood. This area also features lots of housing choices, including some small apartment complexes. Plus, Interstate 74 is near here, so you can hop on it any time you get the urge to travel within or outside the city.
Highland Pines: This neighborhood is a little west of City Center, and it is slightly more expensive. There are lots of ponds dotting the area, including Salome Pond, Batley Pond, and Cox Pond, so grab your fishing pole and get ready to enjoy the great outdoors. Plus, Walmart Supercenter, Pop A Top Lounge, and Richmond County Airport all happen to be close to this neighborhood.
Top Apartments in Hamlet
Tall Pine Apartments: Featuring one and two bedroom units, this apartment complex is located near the southern tip of the city, just north of Interstate 74. If you like being surrounding by, well, tall pines, then you'll appreciate the scenery here!
Richmond Village Apartments: If you want to live in an apartment complex that's close to the middle of town and conveniently near Hamlet City Lake, pick this one. It features one bedroom units with super affordable rent, so it's great when you're on a budget, and who isn't?
Sierra Gardens Apartments: Located on the north end of Hamlet, this complex is close to Richmond Community College Lake, Sandhills Regional Medical Center, and Murphy's Pond. You can choose from one and two bedroom units here.
Piney Point Apartments: This is also on the northern part of the city, near Dobbins Heights Community Park, Rite Aid, and Subway. So getting a one or two bedroom place here would be pretty convenient.
Wiregrass Manor: This is pretty much across the street from Piney Point, so if you like the area but are not in love with one complex, you can simply check out another. This complex in particular gets good reviews from tenants, so it's worth looking for a one or two bedroom apartment here.
This cute little village has plenty of places for locals to shop and eat. Just a few of the restaurants include Cafe on Main, Steve's Pizza, and Seaboard Station. If you're looking for a grocery store or pharmacy, head to Food Lion, Piggly Wiggly, or Mabry's Drug Store. You can pick up a few things for the house at Ace Hardware, Dollar General, or Family Dollar. And if you want antiques, head to Main Street.
If you are not in the mood to shop and want to get to know the history of the area instead, you can check out the Hamlet Depot & Museum. This is where you can learn a bit about the town's exciting history involving the railroad. As you might guess, the station is on the National Register of Historic Places, and with its many train replicas, it provides a great background for photos. Similarly, you can check out the National Railroad Museum and Hall of Fame, which is next to the Hamlet Depot & Museum.
For those times when you want to head into a big city, you can simply take Interstate 74, which goes east and west. It's just south of Hamlet and allows you to easily travel to Asheville, Wilmington, Charlotte, and pretty much any other city that's east or west of this town. If you want to go to the beach, just take this highway east for about two hours until you end up at Wrightsville Beach or one of the many other coastal areas nearby. Want to head south? You can end up in Myrtle Beach, SC in an hour and a half, or Charleston in just under three hours. Of course, if your goal is simply to get to South Carolina and you're not picky about which town you end up in, you only have to drive 20 minutes since Hamlet is so close to the state border. Pretty convenient, huh?
