Obama and the Tiny Hamlet

On Letterman tonight Obama said "Because when you travel, it doesn’t matter whether you’re here in New York City or a tiny hamlet somewhere in the Midwest, what you find is people are just having a tough time right now."

Tiny hamlet? Tiny hamlet? Frankly I didn't know that we had hamlets in the US. It sounded vaguely European. Who refers to small American towns as hamlets or even villages?

Granted, Wikipedia says that hamlets are actual planning or organizational units in New York or Oregon. Neither of those states is in the midwest.

Do you live in a hamlet in the Midwest? Do you know anyone who lives in a tiny hamlet in the Midwest or (more importantly) describes themselves as living in a tiny hamlet? (Google or Dogpile midwestern hamlet, and enjoy the Christmas pierced nipple story - fun but still a small sample.)

Hamlet, huh?
It just caught my ear.
The more I this guy sounds like an effete elite the more I wonder if he'd govern like one. Perish the thought.