Area Information

Welcome to the Town of Bevent!

Bevent is a town in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States.

It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,118 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Shantytown is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Bevent is also located partially in the town.

The Town of Pike Lake was divided into the towns of Bevent and Reid. Bevent was actually supposed to be “Berent” after a lawyer, but was incorrectly transcribed and was legally called Bevent.

This area of Marathon County was settled primarily by Polish immigrants.

The importance that those immigrants and their descendants placed on their religion was evidenced by many roadside shrines. Individual families and entire parishes used to make pilgrimages to these shrines as part of their observance of religious holidays.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 42.7 square miles (110.7 km²), of which 42.1 square miles (109.1 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.7 km²), or 1.50%, is water.

Bevent is one of the greatest (by percentage) Polish-American communities in the U.S. Ancestries: Polish (61.0%), German (30.6%), Irish (4.9%), Norwegian (3.2%), French (2.5%), English (2.4%).