La Crosse is a town in Mecklenburg County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, United States. Its name is derived from the fact that it was a place where

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s once crossed, and there is still a

caboose A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in railway switch, switching and Shunting (rail), shunting, keeping a l ...

in the center of the town. La Crosse is adjacent to the neighboring town South Hill. The town's population was 604 at the 2010 census.

History

Before 1890, La Crosse was known as Piney Pond. The

La Crosse Hotel La Crosse Hotel is a historic hotel building located at La Crosse, Mecklenburg County, Virginia. It was built in 1917, and is a two-story, eight bay, brick building with a rear ell and a hipped roof covered with standing seam metal and pressed meta ...

and O.H.P. Tanner House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. La Crosse was a stop on the

Atlantic and Danville Railway The Atlantic and Danville Railway was a Class I railroad which operated in Virginia and North Carolina. The company was founded in 1882 and opened its mainline between Portsmouth, Virginia and Danville, Virginia in 1890. The Southern Railway lea ...

. The

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 16 ...

chartered the People's Warehouse Company in 1902 in La Crosse. The company was formed for selling

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

. Today, the Tobacco Heritage Trail runs through the town on the old Atlantic and Danville Railway.

Geography

La Crosse is located at (36.697177, -78.092322). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²), all land.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 618 people, 263 households, and 160 families living in the town. The population density was 532.4 people per square mile (205.7/km²). There were 314 housing units at an average density of 270.5 per square mile (104.5/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the town was 54.85% White, 43.20% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.91%. Of the 263 households 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 34.2% of households were one person and 18.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90. The age distribution was 22.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 79.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males. The median household income was $24,643 and the median family income was $31,771. Males had a median income of $23,611 versus $17,813 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,532. About 9.8% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{Authority control Towns in Mecklenburg County, Virginia