Birnamwood is a village in

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

and Shawano counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. It is part of the

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. The population was 818 at the 2010 census. Of this, 802 were in Shawano County, and 16 were in Marathon County. The village is located mostly within the town of Birnamwood in Shawano County; only a small portion extends into the town of Norrie in adjacent Marathon County. Until the 1990s, Birnamwood was home to the world's largest fiberglass

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united b ...

U.S. Route 45 U.S. Route 45 (US 45) is a major north-south United States highway and a border-to-border route, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. A sign at the highway's northern terminus notes the total distance as . US 45 is notable for incorporatin ...

runs through the village.

History

The village was named for

Birnam Wood Birnam is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is located north of Perth on the A9 road (Great Britain), A9 road, the main tourist route through Perthshire, in an area of Scotland marketed as ''Big Tree Country''. The village originated f ...

, a town in Scotland mentioned in Shakespeare's ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

''.

Geography

Birnamwood is located at (44.931199, -89.209643). According to the

U.S. 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 the ...

, the village has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 818 people, 343 households, and 217 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 383 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the village was 97.2% White, 0.5% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.8%. Of the 343 households 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.8% of households were one person and 18.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the village was 41.5 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 22.6% were from 45 to 64; and 22.6% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 795 people, 309 households, and 202 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 328 housing units at an average density of . The

of the village was 97.61% White, 0.13% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.26% Asian, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.13%. Of the 309 households 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 31.4% of households were one person and 16.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.14. The age distribution was 29.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males. The median household income was $37,813 and the median family income was $47,574. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $24,688 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,740. About 5.0% of families and 7.9% 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 13.2% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Benjamin A. Cady, lawyer and legislator * Earl W. Schmidt, farmer, jurist, and legislator'Wisconsin Blue Book 1981-1982, Biographical Sketch of Earl William Schmidt, pg. 79

Images

File:Birnamwood Wisconsin Sign July 2011 US 45.jpg, The sign for Birnamwood Image:BirnamwoodWisconsin2.jpg, Traveling on U.S. 45 through Birnamwood

References

External links

Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District
{{authority control Villages in Wisconsin Villages in Shawano County, Wisconsin Villages in Marathon County, Wisconsin