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Oberwil in Waldkirch (Switzerland)

A hamlet is (usually — see below) a small settlement, too small to be considered a village. The name comes from the diminutive of a Germanic word for an enclosed piece of land or pasture.

In the UK, a hamlet is traditionally defined ecclesiastically. It is a village that usually does not have its own church, but belongs to a parish of another village or town. In modern usage it generally refers to a secondary settlement in a civil parish, after the main settlement (if any). Hamlets typically formed around a single source of economic activity such as a farm, mill, mine or harbour that employed its working population. Some hamlets, particularly those with a medieval church, may be the result of the depopulation of a village. The term hamlet was also used in some parts of the country for an areal subdivision of a parish (which might or might not contain a settlement). Elsewhere, these subdivisions were called "townships" or "tithings".^[1][2]

Main article: Administrative divisions of New York

In New York State, hamlets are unincorporated settlements within towns. Hamlets within the Adirondack Park are recognized and included in the Adirondack Park Agency's land-use classifications, and have certain planning and governmental rights. Outside of the Adirondack Park, hamlets are usually not legal entities and have no local government or official boundaries. They will often be named on road signs, however.

A hamlet usually depends upon the town that contains it for municipal services and government. A hamlet could be described as the rural or suburban equivalent of a neighborhood in a city or village. The area of a hamlet may not be exactly defined and may simply be contained within the zip code of its post office, or may be defined by its school or fire district. Residents of a hamlet often identify themselves more closely with the hamlet than with the town.^{[citation needed]} Some hamlets proximate to urban areas are sometimes continuous with their cities and appear to be neighborhoods, but they still are under the jurisdiction of the town.

Main article: Hamlet (Oregon)

In Oregon, specifically in Clackamas County, a hamlet is a form of local government for small communities, which allows the citizens therein to organize and co-ordinate community activities. Hamlets do not provide services such as utilities or fire protection, and do not have the authority to levy taxes or fees. The first hamlet to be created in Oregon was the Hamlet of Beavercreek which was organized as a hamlet in 2006.

In numerous provinces in Canada, there are officially designated municipalities generally smaller than villages, classified as hamlets. There are some exceptions, such as Sherwood Park, Alberta, which has a population of more than 50,000 – well above that needed for city status — but which has retained hamlet status. Fort McMurray, Alberta used to be a city, but has now been amalgamated into the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, thus making it a hamlet. Hamlets are always unincorporated, except in Canada's northern territories, where they are incorporated municipalities.

1. ^ Kain R J P, Oliver R D, Historic Parishes of England & Wales,HDS, 2001, ISBN 0 9540032 0 9, p 12
2. ^ Vision of Britain - Administrative Units Typology - Status definition: Hamlet. Great Britain Historical GIS Project. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.

• Manorialism
• Developed Environments
• Community
• Clachan

• Wolfhampcote: A hamlet formed by depopulation
• Low Mill: A mill hamlet
• "Hamlet" - A typical French hamlet with mill