Hanlontown was founded on October 9, 1899, when a portion of the Chicago and North Western Railroad was built in the southwestern part of Worth County. It was named for the property owner, James Hanlon, and was incorporated on January 18, 1902.
Geography
Hanlontown is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.
As of the census of 2010, there were 226 people, 90 households, and 58 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 96 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 97.3% White, 0.9% African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.9% of the population. There were 90 households of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couplesliving together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.6% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 27.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 to 44; 31% were from 45 to 64; and 9.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 229 people, 90 households, and 65 families residing in the city. The population density was 235.9 people per square mile. There were 97 housing units at an average density of 99.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.25% White, 0.44% African American, 0.87% Asian, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.37% of the population. There were 90 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.98. 28.8% are under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,000, and the median income for a family was $46,458. Males had a median income of $29,792 versus $22,778 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,320. About 3.0% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 7.4% of those sixty five or over.
Hanlontown celebrates the annual "Sundown Days" on June 21 every year. The celebration coincides with the sun setting on the railroad tracks and making them appear golden.
