[Talk-us] Hamlets!

[Serge Wroclawski]

On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 9:32 AM, Richard Welty <rwelty at averillpark.net> wrote:

> i think this varies state-to-state.  the following applies to NY.
>
> hamlets are not incorporated areas and have no government functions.

> in urban areas, hamlets are generally once distinct communities
> that have been absorbed into larger entities. they have no legal standing,
> but frequently the postal service will still deliver based on the name.

> in rural areas in NY, hamlets generally have white on green road signs
> erected by the state highway department and may have a CDP boundary.
> local post offices and/or school districts may use the same name as the
> hamlet.
>
> the CDP boundaries are at best vaguely related to the post office delivery
> routes sharing the name.

I'm disinclined to touch a CDP based on my experience of living in
one. In some places, they have the same function as a town.

In NYC and DC, the hamlets were not places I'd ever heard of (even if
they were close by). If they're just apartments, then it seems silly
to keep them around, even if the post office delivers to them.

So if I read you correctly, it seems like in urban areas that we know
it's generally safe to reclassify them (either as a building, or
building complex (as a multipolygon), or perhaps a neighborhood.

Is that a fair statement?

- Serge