La Crosse ( ) is a city in

La Crosse County, Wisconsin La Crosse County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the county's population was 120,784. Its county seat is the city of La Crosse. La Crosse County is included in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropo ...

, United States, and its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. Positioned alongside the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the La Crosse–Onalaska metropolitan area, which includes all of La Crosse County and

Houston County, Minnesota Houston County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 18,843. Its county seat is Caledonia, Minnesota, Caledonia. Houston County is included in ...

, with a population of 139,627. La Crosse's economy serves as a regional educational, medical, manufacturing, and transportation hub for Western Wisconsin producing a

gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...

(GDP) of $9.7 billion as of 2022. The city is a

college town A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...

with nearly 20,000 students and is home to the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse,

Viterbo University Viterbo University is a Private university, private Catholic university in La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1890 by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Viterbo is home to three colleges with nine schools offering 48 acad ...

, and Western Technical College. Furthermore, the La Crosse area is home to the headquarters or regional offices of

Kwik Trip Kwik Trip is a chain of convenience stores founded in 1965 that has locations throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan under the name Kwik Trip, and in Illinois, Iowa, and South Dakota under the name Kwik Star. The ...

Organic Valley Organic Valley (OV) is an organic food brand and independent agricultural cooperative, cooperative of Organic farming, organic farmers based in La Farge, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1988 and it is the largest farmer owned organic colle ...

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

, Gundersen Health System,

Gensler Gensler is a global design and architecture firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is the largest architecture firm in the world by revenue and number of architects. In 2022, Gensler generated $1.785 billion in revenue, the most o ...

, La Crosse Technology, City Brewing Company, and

Trane Trane is a manufacturer of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, along with building management systems and controls. The company is a subsidiary of Trane Technologies, a company focused on manufacturing HVAC and refrigera ...

. La Crosse County is a top ten

tourist destination A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beau ...

in the state with $433 million in travel-related spending generated in 2023.

History

18th century

The first Europeans to see the region were French

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

rs who traveled the Mississippi River in the late 17th century. There is no written record of any visit to the site until 1805, when Lt.

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions through the Louisiana Purchase territory, first ...

mounted an expedition up the Mississippi River for the United States. Pike recorded the location's name as "Prairie La Crosse". The name originated from the game with sticks that resembled a bishop's

crozier A crozier or crosier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholi ...

or ''

la crosse La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 20 ...

'' in French, which was played by Native Americans there.

19th century

In 1841, the first white settlement at La Crosse was established when Nathan Myrick, a New York native, moved to the village at

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien ( ) is a city in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Often called Wisconsin's second-oldest city, Prairie du Chien was established as a European settlemen ...

to work in the

. Myrick was disappointed to find that because many fur traders were already well-entrenched there, there were no openings for him in the trade. As a result, he decided to establish a trading post upriver at the then still unsettled site of Prairie La Crosse. In 1841, he built a temporary trading post on Barron Island (now called Pettibone Park), which lies just west of La Crosse's present downtown. The following year, Myrick relocated the post to the mainland prairie, partnering with H. J. B. Miller to run the outfit. The spot Myrick chose to build his trading post proved ideal for settlement. It was near the junction of the

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

La Crosse La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 20 ...

, and Mississippi Rivers. In addition, the post was built at one of the few points along the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River where a broad plain, ideal for development, existed between the river's bank and the tall bluffs that line the river valley. Because of these advantages, a small village grew around Myrick's trading post in the 1840s. In 1844, a small

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

community settled at La Crosse, building several dozen cabins a few miles (kilometers) south of Myrick's post. Although these settlers relocated away from the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

after just a year, the land they occupied near La Crosse continues to bear the name Mormon Coulee. On June 23, 1850, Father James Lloyd Breck of the Episcopal Church said the first Christian liturgy on top of Grandad Bluff. Today, a monument to that event stands atop the bluff, near the parking lot at a scenic overlook. More permanent development took place closer to Myrick's trading post, where stores, a hotel, and a post office were constructed during the 1840s. Under the direction of Timothy Burns, lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, surveyor William Hood platted the village in 1851. This opened it up for further settlement, which was achieved rapidly as a result of promotion of the city in eastern newspapers. By 1855, La Crosse had grown in population to nearly 2,000 residents, leading to its incorporation in 1856. The city grew even more rapidly after 1858 with the completion of the La Crosse & Milwaukee Railroad, the second railroad connecting

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

to the Mississippi River. During the second half of the 19th century, La Crosse grew to become one of the largest cities in Wisconsin. It was a center of the lumber industry, for logs cut in the interior of the state could be rafted down the Black River toward

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s built in the city. La Crosse also became a center for the brewing industry and other manufacturers that saw advantages in the city's location adjacent to major transportation arteries, such as the Mississippi River and the railroad between Milwaukee and

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

20th century

Around the turn of the 20th century, the city became a center for education, with three colleges and universities established in the city between 1890 and 1912. Similar to cities across the country, La Crosse saw population stagnation in the latter half of the 20th century as a result of suburbanization. Since 1966, La Crosse has seen its population grow by 10.73%, while its area, miles of sewer, and miles of water mains each grew by more than 50%. La Crosse remains the largest city on Wisconsin's western border, and the educational institutions in the city have recently led it toward becoming a regional technology and medical hub.

21st century

In 2016, Mayor Tim Kabat and former Mayor John Medinger issued a proclamation apologizing for La Crosse's history as a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combinati ...

that discriminated against African Americans.

Geography

La Crosse is located on the western border of the midsection of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, on a broad

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

plain along the east side of the

. The Black River empties into the Mississippi north of the city, and the La Crosse River flows into the Mississippi just north of the downtown area. Just upriver from its mouth, this river broadens into a marshland that splits the city into two distinct sections, north and south. 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 city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Surrounding the relatively flat

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

valley where La Crosse lies are towering bluffs, one of the most prominent of which is Grandad Bluff (mentioned in ''

Life on the Mississippi ''Life on the Mississippi'' is a memoir by Mark Twain of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War published in 1883. It is also a travel book, recounting his trips on the Mississippi River, from St. L ...

'' by

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

), which has an overlook of the three states region. This feature typifies the topography of the

Driftless Area The Driftless Area, also known as Bluff Country and the Paleozoic Plateau, is a topographic and cultural region in the Midwestern United States that comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme ...

in which La Crosse sits. This rugged region is composed of high ridges dissected by narrow valleys called

coulee Coulee, or coulée ( or ), is any of various different landforms, all of which are kinds of valleys or drainage zones. The word ''coulee'' comes from the Canadian French ''coulée'', from French ''couler'' 'to flow'. The term is often used ...

s, a French term. As a result, the area around La Crosse is frequently referred to as the "Coulee Region".

Climate

La Crosse's location in the United States'

Upper Midwest The Upper Midwest is a northern subregion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. Although the exact boundaries are not uniformly agreed upon, the region is usually defined to include the states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wi ...

gives the area a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Koppen ''Dfa''). The warmest month of the year is July, when the average high temperature is , with overnight low temperatures averaging . January is the coldest month, with high temperatures averaging , with the overnight low temperatures around .

Neighborhoods and districts

La Crosse has 13 voting districts (wards). Neighborhoods within the city include: *Bluffside *Washburn *Historic Cass & King *Powell-Poage-Hamilton * Historic downtown *Northside (Upper and Lower) and Old Towne North *Grandview Emerson *Weigent Hogan *Hintgen *College Park (UW–La Crosse campus district) *Springbrook Clayton Johnson

Area

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 52,680. The population density was . There were 24,221 housing units at an average density of . The population living in college or university student housing was 3,897. The racial makeup of the city was 85.6%

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 ...

, 4.9% Asian, 2.9%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 1.2% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 3.2%

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. According to the

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates for 2016–2020, the median income for a household in the city was $46,438, and the median income for a family was $66,928. Male full-time workers had a median income of $43,438 versus $37,215 for female workers. The per capita income for the city was $27,398. About 7.9% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over. Of the population age 25 and over, 93.9% were high school graduates or higher and 36.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

Hmong community

Per the 2022

five-year estimates, the Hmong population was 1,435 comprising approximately 60% of the city's Asian population.

Religion

The city has a variety of religious traditions and communities, including

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Anglicanism Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

Unitarian Universalism Unitarian Universalism (abbreviated UUism or UU) is a liberal religious tradition characterized by its commitment to theological diversity, inclusivity, and social justice. Unitarian Universalists do not adhere to a single creed or doctrine. I ...

, and

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. La Crosse is the

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

for the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse. The Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman serves as the seat of the Diocese. The city is also home to St. Rose of Viterbo Convent, the mother house of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. An independent catholic school district in the city, La Crosse Aquinas Catholic Schools, is also overseen by the diocese. Protestant churches in the city include Lutheran, Evangelical, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and independent traditions. The

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

has five churches in La Crosse: First Lutheran Church, Grace Lutheran Church, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, and St. John's Lutheran Church. La Crosse is also home to two churches affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America; Bethany Church, and Neighborhood City Church. Christ Church of La Crosse, the city's Episcopal church, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church, the city's

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

, is listed on the city's local register of Historic places. Other religious groups within the city include: the Congregation Sons of Abraham, a Jewish

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

; the

Unitarian Universalist Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

Fellowship of La Crosse, which has held services since 1951; the Islamic Society Othman Bin Afaan; and the

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related ...

Faith Alliance Church.

Economy

La Crosse is the home and current global headquarters of several corporations and organizations, including: *Allergy Associates of La Crosse and Allergychoices, Inc., national allergy clinic and allergy services organization *Altra Federal Credit Union, regional credit union * City Brewing Company, former Heileman Old Style brewery * Franciscan Skemp Medical Center, health care network with flagship campus in La Crosse * Gundersen Health System, health care network with flagship campus in La Crosse *

, regional gas and convenience stores * La Crosse Technology, manufacturer of radio-controlled clocks and weather stations * Marine Credit Union, regional credit union Corporations founded and formerly headquartered in La Crosse include: *

Cargill Cargill, Incorporated is an American multinational food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865 by William Wallace Cargill, it is the largest privately held c ...

, America's now largest privately held corporation founded in La Crosse *

La Croix Sparkling Water LaCroix or La Croix ( ) is an American brand of sparkling water that originated in La Crosse, Wisconsin, by G. Heileman Brewing Company and is now distributed by National Beverage Corporation. The available flavors include various fruits and ...

, carbonated drink originally created by the G. Heileman Brewing Company * LaCrosse Footwear, footwear company founded in 1897 *

, international air conditioning, acquired by

Ingersoll-Rand Ingersoll Rand Inc. is an American multinational company that provides flow creation and industrial products. The company was formed in February 2020 through the spinoff of the industrial segment of Ingersoll-Randplc (now known as Trane Technol ...

in 2008

Largest employers

, the 10 largest employers in La Crosse were: # Gundersen Health System # Mayo Clinic Health System (Franciscan Skemp Medical Center) #

# La Crosse County # School District of La Crosse # University of Wisconsin–La Crosse # Logistics Health Incorporated #City of La Crosse # Western Technical College

Shopping

La Crosse and the surrounding communities form a regional commercial center and shopping hub. In the northeastern region of the city lies the area's largest shopping center, Valley View Mall. The surrounding area includes numerous

big-box store A big-box store, a hyperstore, a supercenter, a superstore, or a megastore is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The ...

s, and many restaurants. Other shopping centers in the La Crosse region include Three Rivers Plaza, Marsh View Center, Shelby Mall, Jackson Plaza, Bridgeview Plaza, and the Village Shopping Center. Downtown La Crosse has experienced a resurgence in recent years, providing shopping, farmers' markets, hotels, restaurants, and specialty shops.

Arts and culture

La Crosse has over 30 active arts organizations. The Pump House Regional Arts Center hosts visual arts exhibits throughout the year plus its own series of jazz, folk, and blues performers. The La Crosse Symphony is the city's regional orchestra and the La Crosse Community Theater has won both regional and national acclaim. The city is home to the

Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps The Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps is a World Class competitive junior Drum and bugle corps (modern), drum and bugle corps. Based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the Blue Stars was one of the thirteen founding member corps of Drum Corps International. ...

, a member of

Drum Corps International Drum Corps International (DCI) is a governing body for drum and bugle corps. Founded in 1971 and known as "marching music's major league," DCI develops and enforces rules of competition and judges at sanctioned drum and bugle corps competitions t ...

. Other arts sites include Viterbo University Fine Arts building, UW–La Crosse Art Gallery and Theater, and the La Crosse Center, which hosts national performers. Local sculptor Elmer Petersen has created sculptures that are exhibited throughout the downtown area, including ''La Crosse Players'' and the ''Eagle'' in Riverside Park. It also hosts a yearly St Patrick's Day Parade as well as Irishfest La Crosse in August The La Crosse Center, a

convention center A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...

and arena located in downtown La Crosse on the Mississippi River, hosts a variety of sporting events, concerts, exhibits, and shows. The city annually hosts Oktoberfest USA, an Oktoberfest celebration first established in 1961.

Parks and recreation

Sport

The

La Crosse Loggers The La Crosse Loggers are a La Crosse, Wisconsin based baseball team playing in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. Since the team's inaugural season in 2003, they have played at Copeland Park. The ballpark is nicknamed ...

(baseball) and La Crosse Steam (softball) of the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not ...

play at their home field at Copeland Park on the north side of La Crosse in the summer months. In 2017, the La Crosse Showtime began play in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

at La Crosse Center. In the past, the La Crosse Center has been home to the La Crosse Catbirds, Catbirds and the La Crosse Bobcats, Bobcats of the Continental Basketball Association, CBA, as well as the La Crosse River Rats, River Rats of the Indoor Football League (1999–2000), IFL, the La Crosse Spartans, Spartans of the Indoor Football League, IFL and the La Crosse Night Train, Night Train of the National Indoor Football League, NIFL. In the winter season, the Coulee Region Chill (NA3HL), Coulee Region Chill was a junior team in the North American 3 Hockey League at the Green Island Ice Arena. Additionally, the area's only ski hill, Mt. La Crosse, opened in 1959 and has 19 slopes and trails. The ski hill is home to ''Damnation!'', Mid-America's steepest trail. The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse's ''Eagles'' compete in NCAA Division III. The university's 10,000 seat Veterans Memorial Stadium (La Crosse), Veterans Memorial Field for football (turf field) and outdoor timed track opened in 2009 and hosts the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, WIAA Wisconsin high school outdoor track and field state championships. The La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, located in nearby West Salem, Wisconsin, West Salem, is the first and only paved NASCAR-sanctioned asphalt stock car racing track in Wisconsin.

Parks

A Simpler Time Statue and Riverside Park levee

Riverside Park (La Crosse), Riverside Park is situated on the riverfront of downtown La Crosse near the Cass Street Bridge (La Crosse, Wisconsin), Blue Bridges. It hosts events such as Riverfest, Fourth of July fireworks, Oktoberfest celebrations, Oktoberfest, and the Rotary Lights. Several steamboats make stops along the river in the park, including the American Queen, La Crosse Queen, and Julia Belle Swain. The park has walking/running trails. The park was previously home to a controversial Statue of Hiawatha. Long standing public debate about whether the statue was offensive or presented a caricature based on stereotypes of Native Americans eventually led to its removal in 2020, nearly 60 years after it was erected. Pettibone Park (La Crosse), Pettibone Park is located on Baron Island, across the river from Riverside Park and the downtown area. The island was originally part of the state of Minnesota. The land was transferred to Wisconsin and eventually the City of La Crosse following a border dispute that was resolved in 1919. Today the park has a variety of recreational facilities, including a beach and disc golf course. An extensive marsh, a natural floodplain created by the La Crosse River, divides the city between north and south. The area is protected as an important wildlife habitat and watershed to the Mississippi River. Several biking and walking paths cross through the marshland which is also used for canoeing, fishing and trapping. On the southern end of the marsh lies Myrick Park. The park was named after the city's first European settler: Nathan Myrick. It has many recreational amenities as well as a nature center and environmental education department. Hunting and fishing are very popular all seasons of the year and the Mississippi River, Mississippi and other rivers, sloughs, creeks, lakes, the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife Refuge and hilltops and valleys with public woodlands are available to sportsmen and families.

Government

The city government employs a weak mayor form of the mayor-council system. The mayor is elected at-large, while the 13 members of the Common Council are elected per aldermanic districts. Mitch Reynolds defeated Vicki Markussen in the 2021 La Crosse Mayoral election, succeeding retiring incumbent Tim Kabat. Kabat served as Mayor from 2013 to 2021. In the 2025 Mayoral election, Shaundel Washington-Spivey defeated Chris Kahlow making history as the city's first African Americans in politics, African American and openly LGBTQ, LGBTQ+ mayor-elect. Both the city and county of La Crosse have voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1988. In the 2016 Presidential Election, Hillary Clinton won the City of La Crosse with 58% of the vote. In the 2012 United States presidential election, 2012 presidential election, Barack Obama won 65% of the vote in the City of La Crosse and 58% of La Crosse County. In 2014, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ranked La Crosse as one of Wisconsin's top performing Democratic cities. In the United States Congress, Republican Derrick Van Orden has represented La Crosse as part of Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district since 2023. For representation in the Wisconsin State Assembly, the city is split between three districts, with most of the central and northwestern parts of the city falling within the Wisconsin's 95th Assembly district, 95th district, represented by Democrat Jill Billings; the southern third of the city falls within the Wisconsin's 96th Assembly district, 96th district, represented by Democrat Tara Johnson; the northeastern quarter is part of the Wisconsin's 94th Assembly district, 94th district, represented by Democrat Steve Doyle (Wisconsin politician), Steve Doyle. For Wisconsin Senate representations, the three La Crosse Assembly districts make up the Wisconsin's 32nd Senate district, 32nd Senate district, which is represented by Democrat Brad Pfaff.

Education

The La Crosse area is served by the School District of La Crosse, which as of 2022, has a total enrollment of 6,139 students. As of 2021, the district has 16 separate facilities, providing a total of 20 elementary, middle, high, and charter school programs. In 2021, the school district proposed to consolidate the district's largest high schools, La Crosse Central High School, Central High School and Logan High School (La Crosse, Wisconsin), Logan High School, into a new facility. This plan was voted down in a district-wide referendum in November 2022. Catholic private schools in La Crosse include La Crosse Aquinas Catholic Schools, a Roman Catholic school district affiliated with the Diocese of La Crosse, which includes Aquinas High School (La Crosse, Wisconsin), Aquinas High School and Aquinas Middle School (La Crosse, Wisconsin), Aquinas Middle School. Another Roman Catholic school, the Providence Academy (La Crosse, Wisconsin), Providence Academy, is independent from the district and has no affiliation with the Diocese. Lutheran private schools in La Crosse include First Lutheran School, Immanuel Lutheran School, and Mt. Calvary-Grace Lutheran School, which are part of the La Crosse Area Lutheran Schools organization and affiliated with the

. The region's largest Lutheran high school, Luther High School (Wisconsin), Luther High School is located in Onalaska, Wisconsin. La Crosse is the home of three regional colleges and universities. The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse is the region's leading public university. Western Technical College is a public community college located in the city. La Crosse is also home to

, a Roman Catholic private institution. The Health Science Center exists as a combined effort of all the La Crosse medical centers, universities, and government agencies with a goal of advancing students in the medical fields.

Media

Print

La Crosse's largest newspaper is the daily ''La Crosse Tribune'' which serves the Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa regions. ''The Racquet'' is the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse's free weekly paper. Free weekly tabloids include the ''Foxxy Shopper'' and the ''Buyer's Express.'' Regional magazines, including the ''Coulee Parenting Connection'' and the ''Coulee Region Women'', are also produced in the city.

Television

AM radio

FM radio

Infrastructure

Transportation

Airport

The La Crosse Regional Airport (KLSE), located on French Island, Wisconsin, French Island, provides direct scheduled passenger service to Chicago through American Airlines regional carrier Air Wisconsin. Sun Country Airlines, Sun Country and Xtra Airways provide charter service to Laughlin, Nevada, Laughlin, Elko, Nevada, and other destinations. The airport also serves general aviation for the La Crosse region.

Roads

The city is served by several major highways and Interstate, including Interstate 90, U.S. Highway 14, U.S. Highway 53, U.S. Highway 61, Wisconsin State Highway 35, Wisconsin State Highway 16, and Wisconsin State Highway 33. The Mississippi River Bridge (La Crosse, Wisconsin), Mississippi River Bridge, also known as the Cass St. bridge and the newer Cameron Street bridge (photo with blue arch) both connect downtown La Crosse with La Crescent, Minnesota. These two bridges cross the Mississippi River, as does the Interstate 90 bridge located just northwest of La Crosse, connecting Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Walking and cycling

In 2012, the City of La Crosse was the first city in Wisconsin to pass a Green Complete Streets ordinance. This ordinance requires that when roads are reconstructed the needs of stormwater management and the safety of bicycles and pedestrians are taken into account in the new design. The same year, the city passed the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan to guide improvements to the transportation network for those walking or cycling in the city. By 2018, La Crosse had of on-street bike lanes, of paved bike paths, and of unpaved paths. As of 2021, however, La Crosse had no protected bike lanes, while bike infrastructure has generally gone unmaintained through the winter months. A new bikeshare system debuted in downtown La Crosse in April 2021 through a partnership of La Crosse Neighborhoods, Inc and Koloni, an Iowa based bikeshare company. It is hoped that this service will be expanded across the city in the near future. The system has grown each year from 8 bikeshare stations and 40 bikes available for use in 2021, to 10 stations and 50 bikes in 2022 and to 15 stations and 75 bikes in 2023. The interstate Mississippi River Trail passes through La Crosse. However, the trail does not follow a dedicated multi-use path. The La Crosse River Trail and the Great River State Trail pass through the northern edge of the city. These trails combine to form one continuous trail from Trempealeau, Wisconsin, Trempealeau to Reedsburg, Wisconsin, Reedsburg. They are rail trails built on the former roadbed of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway.

Public transit

Public transit in La Crosse began with the opening of a horse-drawn streetcar line in 1878. Over time, more streetcar lines were added, and by 1893, all streetcars had been electrified. Beginning in the early 20th century, however, increasing car ownership led to a decline of the privately run streetcar system. As a result, buses began to replace streetcars throughout the city. By November 1945, the last streetcar line closed. The City of La Crosse took over operations of the buses in the 1970s from the Mississippi Valley Public Service Company, as the buses could no longer be operated profitably. In 1945, in the first timetable after streetcar service had ended, there were four bus routes. The earliest bus left at 5:40 am and the last bus returned at 1:00 am. Buses ran at a 10 to 15-minute headway throughout the day. In total, the buses provided 1519.95 hours of service per week. Today, in 2021, the MTU provides only 1141.6 hours of service per week, a decline of 24.89%. The La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility bus service, with routes reaching out to the suburbs, served over one million users in 2007. As of 2021, the MTU operates 11 routes with the earliest buses beginning their routes at 5:12 am and running until 10:40 pm at the latest. In addition to the MTU, a regional bus service, Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit, provides service to Prairie du Chien, Viroqua, Tomah, and points in-between. The service has four routes, which only run on weekdays.

Railroads

The first rail line to reach La Crosse arrived in 1858 from Milwaukee constructed by the Milwaukee & La Crosse Railroad. This later became the main line of the Milwaukee Road. After the Milwaukee Road went bankrupt it became part of the Soo Line Railroad in 1985 and later came under the control of Canadian Pacific Railway. This line provides the track on which the La Crosse (Amtrak station), La Crosse Amtrak station is located, served daily by the ''Empire Builder'' between Chicago and Seattle or Portland. In May 2024, the station added a daily round-trip on the new ''Borealis (train), Borealis'' train between Chicago and St. Paul. Railroad tracks owned by BNSF Railway, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) pass through La Crosse providing freight service. These were originally built by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in 1886 to connect Chicago to the Twin Cities following the east bank of the

. This line provided passenger service as well up until May 1, 1971, when Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail operations.

Intercity bus

Jefferson Lines serves La Crosse with one daily bus each way running between Minneapolis and Milwaukee via Rochester and Madison. In addition, Badger Bus offers service on Fridays and Sundays during the school year between Madison and Minneapolis via La Crosse. Both Jefferson Lines and Badger Bus make stops at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse Student Union, while Jefferson Lines also stops at the downtown Grand River Station transit hub.

Waterways

On the Upper Mississippi River, Mississippi River, cargo is transported to and from this area to St Paul and St Louis, using towboats, primarily moving dry bulk cargo barges for coal, grain, and other low-value bulk goods. Lock and Dam No. 7 on the Mississippi River is located approximately upstream from Downtown La Crosse.

Utilities

La Crosse's tap drinking water, which is raised from a deep underground Artesian aquifer, won the best natural tasting water award in September 2007 in a statewide tasting competition hosted by the Wisconsin Water Association. The city competed against groundwater and surface water utilities from Algoma, Appleton, Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, Pell Lake, Shawano, Shawano Lake and Watertown at the annual meeting of the association. La Crosse's drinking water is pumped from deep ground wells to a distribution center and is treated with chlorine and fluoride; some wells are also treated with polyphosphate. In recent years, the city discovered Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS in the groundwater on French Island, WI as a result of fire fighting foam used at the La Crosse Regional Airport. This has led to the closure of two municipal wells, as well as prevented residents of parts of the Town of Campbell, WI from safely using their private wells. Over 500 wells on French Island have been contaminated and the State of

has supplied bottled water to the affected residents.

Healthcare

Two major regional healthcare facilities are located in La Crosse: Gundersen Health System and the Franciscan Skemp Medical Center. Gundersen Health System is a nationally ranked health care system located in La Crosse that is also an ACS nationally certified Level II Trauma Center. It is the primary hospital associated with the Gundersen Clinic medical group and the location of the Western campus for the University of Wisconsin Medical School. With its main campus located in La Crosse, the system also manages 23 locations throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa with nearly 6,000 employees. In 2014, Gundersen Health received the Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals™ designation, placing the system among the top 1 percent of hospitals nationwide. The Franciscan Skemp Medical Center is an affiliate of the

. Franciscan Skemp, which was the first western Wisconsin hospital to open its doors in 1883 as St. Francis Hospital, was started by the Catholic Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, who still are associated with the medical center. In 1995, Franciscan Skemp merged with

Health Systems in Rochester, Minnesota, located 60 miles away. A new trauma and emergency department, helicopter pad, and surgery wing recently opened in 2007. The Health Science Center, located on the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse campus, is a combined effort of both medical centers, UW–La Crosse, Viterbo University, Western College, the School District of La Crosse, and various government educational groups. The purpose was to prepare and train students for advancement in the medical field.

Notable people

Sister cities

La Crosse has Twin towns and sister cities, sister city relationships with seven foreign towns and cities: * Bantry, County Cork, Ireland * Dubna, Moscow Oblast, Russia * Épinal, Vosges (department), Vosges, Grand Est, France * Friedberg, Bavaria, Friedberg, Bavaria, Germany * Førde, Norway * Junglinster, Luxembourg * Kumba, Cameroon, Kumbo, Cameroon * Luoyang, Henan, China

References

Bibliography

* Crocker, Leslie F. ''Places and Spaces: A Century of Public Buildings, Bridges and Parks in La Crosse, Wisconsin.'' La Crosse, Wis. 2012. * Marcou, David J. (ed.) ''Spirit of La Crosse: A Grassroots History''. La Crosse, Wis.: Western Wisconsin Technical College, 2000. * Morser, Eric J. ''Hinterland Dreams: The Political Economy of a Midwestern City''. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011.

External links

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La Crosse Area Chamber of CommerceLa Crosse Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
{{Authority control La Crosse, Wisconsin Cities in Wisconsin Cities in La Crosse County, Wisconsin Wisconsin populated places on the Mississippi River County seats in Wisconsin Populated places established in 1841 1841 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Sundown towns in Wisconsin