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La Crosse is the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin. The city, which lies alongside the Mississippi River, is known primarily as a college town and commercial center for the surrounding area. The population of La Crosse was 51,818 at the 2000 census. Together with surrounding communities, the La Crosse metropolitan area was, according to the 2000 census, home to 96,592 people. The city forms the core of, and is the principal city within the United States Census Bureau's La Crosse Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of La Crosse County in Wisconsin and Houston County, Minnesota (composite 2000 population: 126,838).
History La Crosse was incorporated as a city in 1856, but its history goes back somewhat further. The first Europeans to see the site of La Crosse were French fur traders who traveled up and down the Mississippi River beginning in the late 17th Century. Despite this, there is no written record of any visit to the site until 1805, when Lt. Zebulon Pike mounted an expedition up the Mississippi River for the United States. Pike recorded the location's name as "Prairie La Crosse". The name probably originated with the French who had been to the site before Pike. These early visitors most likely gave the site its name after seeing American Indians come together on the broad prairie where La Crosse now sits to play a game which reminded the French of their own game called la crosse. The first white settlement at La Crosse came in 1841. That year, a New York native named Nathan Myrick had moved to the village at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin to work in the fur trade. However, once in Wisconsin, Myrick found that many fur traders were already well-entrenched in Prairie du Chien, and that there were no openings for him to become involved there. As a result, Myrick decided to establish a trading post upriver at the then still unsettled site of Prairie La Crosse. In 1841 Myrick built a temporary trading post on Barron Island, which lies just west of La Cross's present downtown. In 1842 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, La Crosse, and Mississippi Rivers. In addition, the post was built at one of the very few points along the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River where a broad plain ideal for development exist between the river's bank and the tall bluffs that line the river valley. As such, a small village grew around Myrick's trading post through the 1840s. A small Mormon community settled at La Crosse in 1844, and built several dozen cabins a few miles south of Myrick's post. Although these settlers relocated away from the Midwest after just a year, the land they occupied near La Crosse continues to bear the name Mormon Coulee. 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 thanks to promotion of the city in eastern newspapers. By 1855, La Crosse had grown in population to nearly two thousand residents, leading to its incorporation in 1856. The city grew only more rapidly after 1858 with the completion of the Milwaukee & La Crosse Railroad, the second railroad connecting Milwaukee to the Mississippi River. During the second half of the 19th Century, La Crosse grew to become one of the largest cities in Wisconsin. At this time it was a major economic center in the state, especially of the lumber industry, for logs cut in the interior of the state could be rafted down the Black River towards sawmills 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. Around the turn of the 20th Century, the city also became a center for education, three colleges and universities were established in the city between 1890 and 1912. La Crosse remains the largest city on Wisconsin's western border today, and the educational institutions in the city have recently led it towards becoming a regional technology and medical hub. Geography La Crosse is located in western Wisconsin, on a broad alluvial plain along the east side of the Mississippi River. 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. Prior to 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 city has a total area of 57.4 km² (22.2 mi²). 52.2 km² (20.1 mi²) of it is land and 5.2 km² (2.0 mi²) of it (9.12%) is water. Surrounding the relatively flat prairie where La Crosse lies are towering bluffs, one of the most prominent of which is Grandad's Bluff (mentioned in Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain). This feature typifies the topography of the Driftless Area in which La Crosse sits. This rugged region is composed of high ridges dissected by narrow valleys called coulees. As a result, the area around La Crosse is frequently referred to as the "Coulee Region". Several cities are located in the immediate vicinity of La Crosse, including Onalaska, Wisconsin, Holmen, Wisconsin, West Salem, Wisconsin, and La Crescent, Minnesota across the Mississippi River. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 51,818 people, 21,110 households, and 10,217 families residing in the city. The population density was 993.4/km² (2,573.4/mi²). There were 22,233 housing units at an average density of 426.2/km² (1,104.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.58% White, 1.56% African American, 0.51% Native American, 4.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population. There were 21,110 households out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.6% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 24.4% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,103, and the median income for a family was $43,047. Males had a median income of $30,996 versus $22,076 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,650. About 7.8% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over. Economy La Crosse is the original home and international headquarters of several businesses, including the Trane air conditioning company, the City Brewing Company, The Company Store, FirstLogic, and Logistics Health. The La Crosse Footwear Company also originated in the city, but has since relocated its headquarters elsewhere. La Crosse is also a media hub for the Coulee Region. The city is home to ABC affiliate WXOW and CBS affiliate WKBT. The La Crosse Tribune is the city's newspaper. The Second Supper, a satirical newspaper, is also published in La Crosse. In addition, two major health care facilities are located in the city, these being Gundersen Lutheran and Franciscan Skemp, which is an affiliate of the Mayo Clinic. Shopping La Crosse and the surrounding communities form a regional commercial center and shopping hub. While several stores of all kinds are located within La Crosse itself, the northern neighbor of Onalaska provides the primary shopping district in the area, including the region's largest shopping center, Valley View Mall, numerous other big-box stores, and several eateries. Other shopping centers in the La Crosse region include Three Rivers Plaza, Marsh View Center, Shelby Mall, Center 90, and the Village Shopping Center. Valley View Mall Convention Center The La Crosse Center is an 9,000-seat multi-purpose arena built in 1980 in downtown La Crosse. The Center is also a convention center offering 21,600 square feet of exhibit space, a 45-foot ceiling height, a 60-by-40-foot stage, two locker rooms and three dressing rooms. There is also a 14,935-square-foot North Hall which can open up to the arena to be used in combination, and a 38,740-square-foot South Exhibit Hall. All three venues total 75,275 square feet of exhibit space. The complex also contains 9,432 square feet of meeting room space in five meeting rooms, which can be divided into nine meeting rooms. La Crosse Center While both exhibit halls and the arena are used for trade shows, conventions, meetings and banquets, the arena is also used for sporting events, concerts, circuses, ice shows and other events. Education La Crosse is home to three regional colleges and universities. These include the public University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Western Technical College, as well as the Roman Catholic Viterbo University. For primary and secondary education, the La Crosse area is served by the School District of La Crosse. La Crosse Central High School and Logan High School are the two public high schools serving the La Crosse area. In addition, La Crosse Coulee Catholic Schools, a Roman Catholic school district affiliated with the Diocese of La Crosse, is centered in the city and includes Aquinas High School. Another Roman Catholic school, the Providence Academy, is independent from Coulee Catholic Schools and has no affiliation with the Diocese of La Crosse. Transportation The La Crosse Municipal Airport provides scheduled passenger service, as well as serving general aviation for the region. On the Mississippi River, cargo is transported to and from the area using towboats, primarily moving dry bulk cargo barges for coal, grain, and other low-value bulk goods. Railroad tracks owned by Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) pass through La Crosse providing freight service. Amtrak also has a station in La Crosse, and is a stop for the Empire Builder providing cross-country passenger rail service. The city is served by several major highways, including Interstate 90, U.S. Highway 14, and Wisconsin State Highway 16. Religion Sports La Crosse has supported several sports teams, including the Catbirds of the CBA, the Bobcats of the CBA, the La Crosse RiverRats of the IFL, the Night Train of the NIFL, and currently the Loggers of the Northwoods League, whose home field is at Copeland Park. La Crosse is also home to the two-time NCAA Division III national football championship winning University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles, where former NFL players Tom Newberry, Bill Schroeder, and Mike Maslowski played during college. Climate La Crosse's location in the Midwest means that it often has rapidly changing weather, and the city experiences the full range of the seasons throughout the year. The warmest month of the year is July, when the average high temperature is 85°F (29°C), with overnight low temperatures averaging 63°F (18°C). January is the coldest month, with high temperatures averaging 26°F (-4°C), with the overnight low temperatures around 6°F (-14°C). Sister Cities La Crosse is fortunate to have Sister Cities or Twin Cities relationships with six foreign cities. These cities include: Annual Events Notable residents See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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