La Crosse dates to 1842, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #10 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
42 places in town are on the National Register, among them seven historic districts with 477 buildings between them. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1843.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives La Crosse’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, La Crosse is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #10 of 362 in Wisconsin. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of La Crosse’s overall grade.
Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so La Crosse’s 101 sits above most of its state (95% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 518 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1842.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about La Crosse’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first Europeans to see the region were French explorers 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 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 or la crosse in French, which was played by Native Americans there.
Passages that mention La Crosse, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Biographical history of La Crosse, Trempealeau and Buffalo counties, Wisconsin1892 · page 571Read the page →
Read the text
Paul railroad, with which he remainedfor twenty-nine years in various capacities, closing his career as a railroad man in 1887 as a ticket agent at La Crosse, Wisconsin. He was then elected the first Comptroller of La Crosse, and during tlie four years that he served in this capacity he rendered an excellent account of himself and discharged his
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Biographical history of La Crosse, Trempealeau and Buffalo counties, Wisconsin1892 · page 609Read the page →
Read the text
Trempealeau county, and the growth and development of the country has indeed been marvelous. When he traveled from Portage city to La Crosse in 1851, he saw but very few houses, and about seventy miles of that distance did not contain a residence, and in the last thirty miles which he traveled before reaching the present city of La Crosse not a
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
La Crosse, 1842 to 1963
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of La Crosse. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1963La Crosse sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of La Crosse.
Every building
La Crosse, building by building, 1884–1906
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1842, according to Wikidata. La Crosse’s post office opened in 1843, and the census of 1860 counted 3,860 people here.
How does La Crosse rank for history?
La Crosse is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #10 of 362 in Wisconsin. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in La Crosse?
42 listings: 32 buildings, among them the Gideon C. Hixon House (listed 1974, the first), 7 historic districts with 477 contributing buildings, 2 sites, and 1 structure. 518 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in La Crosse?
26% of La Crosse’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1965.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (7), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (42), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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