Birch Lake Township is a township in Cass County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. The population was 573 as of the 2000 census. This township took its name from Birch Lake.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (18.76%) is water. The city of Hackensack is located entirely within Birch Lake Township geographically but is a separate entity.

Major highway

* Minnesota State Highway 371

Lakes

* Birch Lake (east quarter) * Blind Lake (northwest edge) * Blueberry Lake * Boss Lake * Fish Lake * Hattfield Lake * High Bank Lake * Hiram Lake * Horseshoe Lake * Larson Lake * Little Boy Lake (northwest half) * Little Webb Lake (vast majority) * Mud Lake * Paquet Lake * Peterson Lake * Pleasant Lake * Round Lake (north half) * Stony Lake * Surprise Lake * Sylvester Lake * Tenmile Lake (east edge) * Three Island Lake * Webb Lake (vast majority) * Woodchuck Lake * Young Lake

Adjacent townships

* Turtle Lake Township (north) * Pine Lake Township (northeast) * Woodrow Township (east) * Ponto Lake Township (southeast) * Powers Township (south) * Deerfield Township (southwest) * Hiram Township (west)

Cemeteries

The township contains the following cemeteries: Finnelly and Hillcrest.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 573 people, 259 households, and 188 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 647 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.43%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, and 1.57% from two or more races. There were 259 households, out of which 17.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 2.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.61. In the township the population was spread out, with 17.1% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 15.7% from 25 to 44, 38.7% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $36,042, and the median income for a family was $39,327. Males had a median income of $31,500 versus $26,875 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $18,687. About 2.8% of families and 5.4% 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 ...

, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

United States National Atlas

United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
{{authority control Townships in Cass County, Minnesota Brainerd, Minnesota micropolitan area Townships in Minnesota