Siren is a village in, and the county seat of, Burnett County 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 sove ...

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 ...

. The population was 806 at the 2010 census. The village is surrounded by the Town of Siren.

History

The

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

and the French fur traders were the principal inhabitants of the region in the early 1800s. Swedish immigrants began settling in the area around what is now Siren in the 1880s. Many of them were members of the

Evangelical Covenant Church The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) is a Radical Pietistic denomination with Lutheran roots in the evangelical Christian tradition. The denomination has 129,015 members in 878 congregations and an average worship attendance of 219,000 people ...

. The first post office was built in 1895 about a mile west of its present location. The first postmaster was Charles F. Segerstrom, who had the post office in his home. His home was surrounded by lilacs, which are quite abundant in the area. Segerstrom applied with the postal department for a name for the place, choosing "Syren", Swedish for "lilac." Presumably the postal department thought this was a misspelling, for on the granted application they put down the spelling as "Siren." In 1912, the town center was moved nearer to the Soo Line Railroad tracks, which had been extended north through the area to Superior, Wisconsin and

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, Minnesota. The tracks were later removed but the trail was left behind for recreational purposes. It is now known as the

Gandy Dancer State Trail The Gandy Dancer State Trail is a 98-mile recreational trail spanning through Wisconsin and Minnesota. The trail is managed by Polk, Burnett, and Douglas County in Wisconsin and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota. Rout ...

and is a popular route for hikers, bicyclists, and snowmobilers. On June 18, 2001, an F3 tornado passed through Siren, inflicting severe damage. Three people died; 175 buildings were destroyed and many more damaged. Since then much of the town has been rebuilt with its architecture reflecting Siren's history.

Geography

Siren is located at (45.783633, -92.380161). 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 village has an area of , of which is land and is water. Siren is surrounded by several lakes including Big Doctor Lake, Clam Lake, Crooked Lake, Fish Lake, and Long Lake.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, Siren had a population of 806 people. The population density was 631.2 people per square mile (243.7/km²). The racial makeup of Siren was 725 (90.0%)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2 (0.2%)

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 ensl ...

, 33 (4.1%) American Indian or Alaska native, 3 (0.4%)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0 (0.0%)

native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawa ...

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, and 4 (0.5%) from another race; 39 (4.8%) of the residents were from two or more races. 19 people (2.4%) were

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. The population was distributed by age with 57 residents (7.1%) under the age of 5, 42 (5.2%) aged 5 to 9, 55 (6.8%) aged 10 to 14, 48 (6.0%) aged 15 to 19, 28 (3.5%) aged 20 to 24, 47 (5.8%) aged 25 to 29, 42 (5.2%) aged 30 to 34, 49 (6.1%) aged 35 to 39, 53 (6.6%) aged 40 to 44, 54 (6.7%) aged 45 to 49, 53 (6.6%) aged 50 to 54, 52 (6.5%) aged 55 to 59, 41 (5.1%) aged 60 to 64, 51 (6.3%) aged 65 to 69, 35 (4.3%) aged 70 to 74, 38 (4.7%) aged 75 to 79, 32 (4.0%) aged 80 to 84, and 29 (3.6%) aged 85 and over. Siren had 376 households, of which 212 (56.4%) were families, 96 (25.5%) had children under 18 years of age, 141 (37.5%) were opposite-sex couples, 48 (12.8%) were families with a female householder and no husband, and 23 (6.1%) were families with a male householder and no wife. 164 households (43.6%) were not families, with 148 (20.0%) consisting of a single householder and 73 (19.4%) consisting of a single householder 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.12 people, and the average family size was 2.76 people. 798 people lived in households, 0 were institutionalized, and 8 lived in noninstitutional group quarters. Siren had 490 housing units, of which 376 were occupied; there were 383.7 housing units per square mile of land (148.1/km²). 223 (59.3%) housing units were owner-occupied, while 153 (40.7%) were occupied by renters. 511 people lived in owner-occupied housing units, while 287 lived in renter-occupied housing units. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.7%, and the rental vacancy rate was 10.9%.

2000 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 2000, there were 988 people, 413 households, and 230 families residing in the village. 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 895.1 people per square mile (346.8/km²). There were 499 housing units at an average density of 452.1 per square mile (175.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.85%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.10%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

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 ...

, 2.02% Native American, 0.30%

, 0.10%

, 0.10% 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 1.52% from two or more races. 0.10% of the population were

of any race. There were 413 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.85. In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 26.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $24,342, and the median income for a family was $31,797. Males had a median income of $27,250 versus $21,635 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 village was $14,792. About 12.0% of families and 18.3% 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 22.6% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Siren is the county seat of Burnett County. It is governed by a village board, consisting of a president and 6 trustees.

Transportation

Major highways

Wisconsin Highway 35 State Trunk Highway 35 (STH-35, WIS 35) is a Wisconsin state highway running north–south across western Wisconsin. It is 412.15 miles in length, and is the longest state highway in Wisconsin. Portions of WIS 35 are part of the ...

– 2nd Avenue within Siren *

Wisconsin Highway 70 State Trunk Highway 70 (often called Highway 70, STH-70 or WIS 70) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in northern Wisconsin from a shared terminus with WIS 101 at US Highway 2 (US 2) and U ...

Burnett County Road B

Airport

* Burnett County Airport (KRZN) serves the village and surrounding communities.

Notable people

Molly Engstrom Molly Marie Engstrom (born March 1, 1983) is an American retired ice hockey player and the cuurent head coach of the Maine Black Bears women's ice hockey program in the Hockey East (HEA) conference of the NCAA Division I. During her playing care ...

, USA hockey player in 2006 and 2010 Olympics

Bibliography

* Thomas, Chad. ''Seasons without Shade: Remembering the Siren Tornado''. St. Paul, MN: Lilac Press, 2002. .

References

External links

Siren, Wisconsin government website
{{authority control Villages in Wisconsin Villages in Burnett County, Wisconsin County seats in Wisconsin