La Crosse County, Wisconsin offers natural beauty, economic opportunity, cultural events, and outdoor recreation galore, plus a high quality of life matched with a low cost of living.
“The main attraction for us, and our calling card to attract visitors, is outdoor recreation: hiking, biking, boating, canoeing, kayaking, water sports… Pools 7, 8, and 9 on the Mississippi River border La Crosse County and are one of the premier fisheries in the nation, showcasing 119 species of fish,” says A.J. Frels, Executive Director of Explore La Crosse.
According to a Wisconsin Department of Tourism annual study, La Crosse County has ranked among the top 10 out of 72 counties in Wisconsin for tourism-related business activity for the last 10 years. According to state statistics, direct tourist spending in La Crosse County exceeded $319 million in 2024, with a four percent increase over the previous year.
The impact of tourism directly translates to strong economic opportunity, significantly supporting strong downtowns, convention centers, and over-night lodging. Tourism is also a workforce recruitment strategy, realizing that if visitors have a positive experience while in the La Crosse community, they will be more likely to choose La Crosse as their home, should they consider relocation.
The county was originally inhabited by the people of the Ho-Chunk Nation, some of whom continue to live in the area. French fur traders operated on the Mississippi River since the late 1600s, and made forays into the county, but European settlement didn’t really begin until the 1840s. Immigrants from Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany made their way to the region and La Crosse County was officially established in 1851. Following the Civil War, many African Americans settled in the area as well.
With a population of 120,262 people in 2023, according to Data USA, La Crosse County boasts core industries that include healthcare—with two major medical centers, education—with three post-secondary institutions, advanced manufacturing, food and beverage production, construction, and finance/insurance. In fact, finance and insurance is one of the fastest growing industries in La Crosse County, with over 4,000 jobs in said field, which is well above the national per capita average, according to 2023 Lightcast figures. When asked why there is such a growing presence, Samuel Bachmeier, Community Development Specialist with La Crosse County, simply notes “investors see opportunity.” Strong industry, combined with over 950 acres of forests and parks and 236 miles of waterways, makes La Crosse County a premier destination for business and living opportunities alike.
Located in the southwestern part of Wisconsin, La Crosse County benefits from very advantageous geography.
“We’re within a two-hour drive from Minneapolis, Madison, and Milwaukee, and four hours from Chicago. We have Amtrak running two daily schedules (Empire Builder and Borealis), and a regional airport. You can access amenities in the Midwest very quickly… transportation by air, road, rail, and water are very much in play for any businesses that want to locate here,” notes Bachmeier. In addition, located in the heart of the Midwest, “we’re within eight hours of almost 30 million people,” notes Bob Gollnik, Executive Director of the La Crosse Area Planning Committee.
In addition to Amtrak, the county is served by BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail. Interstate 90 and the Mississippi River weave through the county, accommodating road traffic and barges, cruise ships, and personal watercraft. La Crosse Regional Airport (LSE) is based a few miles northwest of the city of La Crosse, and travelers who like scenic views can utilize the nationally recognized Great River Road, which follows alongside the Mississippi River through multiple states (including Wisconsin). The Great River Road was voted the number one Best Scenic Drive in America by USA Today readers this May.
La Crosse County is a part of the “driftless area” meaning during the Ice Age, it was never covered by glaciers. As a result, La Crosse boasts distinct and remarkable topography within the largely flat Upper Midwest, including sandstone buttes and bluffs and stunning valleys. “Grandad Bluff is the number one tourism must-stop to check out in the county,” states Frels.
Standing over 600 feet, the top of this La Crosse County landmark offers impressive views of the Mississippi River Valley and a look at three different states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa). There’s also a popular ski hill in the area called Mount La Crosse. The hill lures people from across the region and features trails for hiking, mountain biking, and snowshoeing.
As a complement to these soaring peaks, La Crosse County is also blessed with abundant waterways. The Mississippi, La Crosse, and Black Rivers all converge on Riverside Park, a 14-acre expanse in the heart of downtown La Crosse, which hosts Moon Tunes and other cultural and arts-focused events. These rivers, plus another waterway called the Onalaska Spillway, are world-renowned fishing sites.
The county hosts “anywhere from 13 to 17—one year as many as 21—different fishing tournaments. We’re talking about Bassmaster, Major League Fishing, and other top-tier fishing events. What could be considered the Superbowls of Fishing Tournaments,” Frels shares.
Along with fish, the waterways attract huge flocks of birds: “We’re on the Mississippi flyway for bird migration annually,” which makes for excellent birdwatching opportunities, notes Bachmeier. Viking Mississippi River Cruises feature a port of call in La Crosse County, he adds.
But the waterways do not only facilitate world-class recreation activities; they also serve as a major economic asset, providing opportunity for nearly one million tons of cargo—nearly $661 million worth—that flows through the La Crosse ports system, according to 2021 WisDOT information. Primary commodities include bulk products such as caustic soda, cement, coal, cottonseed, distillers grain fertilizer, gypsum, pir iron, potash, salt, and highway construction materials.
For people who prefer land-based activities, a group called the Outdoor Recreation Alliance (ORA) actively builds and maintains trails in the county for hiking, mountain biking, and more. They recently unveiled their new Trails Farm for public use.
La Crosse County is also a bustling cultural center, hosting over 30 festivals a year, one of the largest being Oktoberfest, a celebration of German food, music, and heritage held in the fall. There’s also Kornfest, Irishfest, Riverfest, and Artspire, to name a few. The latter is an annual arts festival that takes place in Riverside Park featuring all manner of artists, artisans, and creative folks. In addition to the many festivals and events, La Crosse County also hosts the La Crosse Loggers and La Crosse Steam—collegiate summer men’s baseball and women’s softball teams that are members of the nationally recognized Northwoods League.
All of this is great for the regional economy; about 65 percent people of people who visit the county come for leisure/travel purposes, with the remaining 35 percent attending for meetings, conventions, and sporting events, states Frels, citing Explore La Crosse statistics. Explore La Crosse vigorously promotes the county’s charms via an active website, multiple social media platforms, blogs, an e-newsletter, and a visitor’s guide. The latter publication is available in print format at trade shows, conventions, and highway stops along the Interstate.
Asked to describe the main appeal of La Crosse County for families, Gollnik points to “quality of life issues” such as low crime and strong school districts. The county abounds in local restaurants, the average commute is under 20 minutes, reports Data USA, and the cost of living is low, he adds. The median property value in La Crosse County was $243,200 in 2023, says Data USA while the Best Places website says the cost of living in the county is 10.5 percent lower than the national average.
As for the county’s urban areas, the city of La Crosse offers plenty of amenities but still “has a relatively smalltown feel. It’s walkable and safe and has a strong sense of civic pride in our communities,” Gollnik says.
A large number of post-secondary students currently call La Crosse home; the county features the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Western Technical College, and Viterbo University. All told, these schools enrolled over 16,000 students in 2022 and granted nearly 5,000 degrees. Viterbo University in particular offers a well-regarded nursing program.
As for wellness, La Crosse County hosts two major hospital systems: Emplify Health and the Mayo Clinic Health System. Emplify “provides top of the line healthcare for the region and has many satellite offices in rural areas,” while the Mayo (one of the most respected healthcare organizations in the world) “has a significant presence in La Crosse,” says Bachmeier.
Indeed, the healthcare/social assistance sector employs the most people in La Crosse County, followed by retail and manufacturing. Kwik Trip, a chain with hundreds of gas station/food service/convenience store locales across the Midwest, is another major employer headquartered in the city of La Crosse.
While Wisconsin has a reputation for brutal winters, the cold weather months in La Crosse are tolerable. Being more southerly than other parts of the state, La Crosse’s winters are cold but not unbearably frigid, with ice-fishing being a popular pastime. Going forward, the weather and water may prove to be lures for new residents and businesses. Climate change is boosting temperatures in already hot environments, especially in the Southern U.S., and sweltering denizens of such locales might seek out the more temperate climes of places such as La Crosse. “We feel that we’re really positioned to receive some of the climate migrants, as they’re referred to,” says Bachmeier.
Into the future, La Crosse County boosters anticipate continued population growth but aren’t expecting a demographic explosion. They are looking for energetic economic expansion, and La Crosse County has numerous greenfield and infill/redevelopment sites to support such efforts.
“One of the things I’m hopeful for is further development of entrepreneurship within the area, particularly within tech, medical, food and beverage production… If I could say I want La Crosse County to be known for one thing within the next five years it would be that, if you want to start a business, you have every resource you can imagine to make that possible within La Crosse,” says Bachmeier.
