thumb|Beinwil am See
Beinwil am See is a municipality in the district of Kulm in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.
With a population of 3,418 as of December 2020, it's known for its diverse history dating back to the Neolithic era. It transitioned from a farming village to an industrial center over the years. At the present the town has a substantial production of cigars, candy, glass and mirrors, electric motors, electronics, and construction materials testing technology. The town came under the jurisdiction of the Canton of Aargau after the collapse of the Helvetic Republic in 1803.
Beinwil has an area of 3.84 square kilometers and is situated in the Seetal valley, near the western edge of Hallwilersee.
The local population is predominantly German-speaking, with a small percentage of Albanian and Italian speakers. The largest political party in the 2007 federal elections was the Swiss People's Party.
The municipality also contains a UNESCO World Heritage Site—the prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements around the Alps. The local rail services connect to Lucerne in the south and Lenzburg in the north.
History
There are traces of Neolithic, Hallstatt, Roman and Alamanni settlements in or near Beinwil. However, Beinwil am See is first mentioned in 1036 as Beinwile. In 1045 it was mentioned as Peinuuilare.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.8% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 20.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 6.8%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.6%. 17.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 20.3% is used for growing crops and 19.5% is pastures, while 8.1% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
Demographics
thumb|left|Village church and center of Beinwil
Beinwil am See has a population () of , 9.7% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 6.1%. Most of the population () speaks German (94.9%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.4%) and Italian being third ( 0.7%).
The age distribution, , in Beinwil am See is; 232 children or 8.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 329 teenagers or 11.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 288 people or 10.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 335 people or 12.2% are between 30 and 39, 485 people or 17.6% are between 40 and 49, and 413 people or 15.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 310 people or 11.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 184 people or 6.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 156 people or 5.7% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 24 people or 0.9% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.51 which is fewer people per room than the cantonal average of 0.57 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 56.7% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 84 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 463 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 501 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.34 individuals. There were a total of 8 empty apartments for a 0.6% vacancy rate.
Heritage sites of national significance
It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ägelmoos, a Bronze Age lake shore settlement, is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
Economy
, Beinwil am See had an unemployment rate of 1.36%. , there were 49 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 16 businesses involved in this sector. 210 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 37 businesses in this sector. 460 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 97 businesses in this sector. Of the working population, 10.4% used public transportation to get to work, and 52.4% used a private car.
Transportation
thumb|Seetal railway train
Beinwil am See's rail service to Beromünster via Reinach and Menziken, which was serviced by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), was replaced by a bus service. The SBB owned Seetal railway line, to Luzern (south) and Lenzburg (north), has been upgraded and is becoming very popular once again.