Birch Tree is a city in southwest Shannon County,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, United States. The population was 541 at the 2020 census.

History

A post office called Birch Tree has been in operation since the 1860s. The community was named for a grove of birch trees near the original town site.

Geography

Birch Tree is located in the Missouri

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant port ...

in southwestern Shannon County. The city is on US Route 60 approximately 11 miles east of Mountain View in adjacent Howell County and 8.5 miles west of Winona. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 679 people, 298 households, and 167 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 347 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.78%

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, 0.29%

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African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.88% Native American, 0.74%

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, 3.09% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.21% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 6.92% of the population. There were 298 households, of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.0% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 38.9 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 634 people, 276 households, and 170 families living in the city. The

was 478.0 people per square mile (184.1/km²). There were 323 housing units at an average density of 243.5 per square mile (93.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.11%

, 0.32%

, 2.05% Native American, 0.79% from

, and 1.74% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.58% of the population. There were 276 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $14,236, and the median income for a family was $18,182. Males had a median income of $16,932 versus $14,531 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $7,695. About 38.3% of families and 46.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 59.2% of those under age 18 and 41.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Mountain View-Birch Tree R-III School District operates Birch Tree Elementary School in the community. The town has a lending library, the Birch Tree City Library.

Notable people

Mel Carnahan Melvin Eugene Carnahan (February 11, 1934 – October 16, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st Governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in a plane crash in 2000. A Democrat, he was elected posthumously to t ...

, Governor of Missouri (1993–2000), the only person to be posthumously elected to the U.S. Senate; born in Birch Tree. *

Bob Holden Robert Lee Holden Jr. (born August 24, 1949) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 53rd Governor of Missouri from 2001 to 2005. Previously, he served as the State Treasurer of Missouri from 1993 to 2001 ...

, Governor of Missouri (2001–2005); raised in Birch Tree.

References

External links

* Historic maps of Birch Tree in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

{{authority control Cities in Shannon County, Missouri Cities in Missouri