Town in Bayfield County
Town of Barnes
- Population
- 823
- County
- Bayfield County
- Location
- 46.307, -91.485
Barnes is a civil town in the southwestern corner of Bayfield County, Wisconsin, on Wisconsin Highway 27 and County Highway N, bordered by Douglas County to the west and Sawyer County to the south. Created in 1905 and named for early settler George S. Barnes, it is a lake-resort community built around the Eau Claire Chain of Lakes (Upper, Middle, and Lower Eau Claire and many smaller lakes), the headwaters of the Eau Claire River. Its 2020 Census population was 823 (up from 769 in 2010, with a latest official state estimate of 819 for 2025), and it is a seasonal community whose effective population swells in summer. It is governed by an elected town board (chair Tom Renz, clerk/treasurer Kari Hufnagle) from the town hall at 3360 County Highway N, and its children attend the Drummond Area School District. Tourism, lake recreation, and seasonal cabins define the local economy, anchored by the Barnes Area Historical Association museum and events like the Taste of Barnes.
What the records show
- Population: 823 (2020 census), 819 (latest official estimate) via doa.wi.gov
- Area: 118.082 sq mi land, 6.512 sq mi water, at 46.306956, -91.484794 via www2.census.gov
- Bayfield County holds 337 named lakes and flowages via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com
- Named lakes nearest this town: Upper Eau Claire Lake, Birch Lake, Devils Lake, Bony Lake, Robinson Lake, Smith Lake, Shunenberg Lake, Middle Eau Claire Lake, Connor Lake, Pickerel Lake, Henderson Lake, Sweet Lake, Tars Pond, Mimi Lake and 20 more via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com
- Name: Town of Barnes via www2.census.gov
- Type: town (civil town) via www2.census.gov
- County: Bayfield County via www2.census.gov
- Coords: 46.306956, -91.484794 via www2.census.gov
Local government
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