Viroqua is the

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 ...

Vernon County, Wisconsin Vernon County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,714. Its county seat is Viroqua. History Vernon County was renamed from Bad Ax County on March 22, 1862. Bad Ax County had been created o ...

, United States. The population was 4,504 at the 2020 census. The city is in the town of Viroqua.

Etymology

The town was originally named “Farwell” after Leonard J. Farwell, second

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's Wisconsin Army National Guard, army and Wisconsin Air National Guard, air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the ...

, but it was renamed “Viroqua” in 1854. It is unclear why the name was changed, and the source of the name is uncertain. One legend states that Viroqua was the name of the daughter of Black Hawk, but this is not supported by evidence. Another story attributes the name to a

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans *Mohawk people (Kanien’kehá:ka), an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language (Kanien’kéha), the language spoken by the Mohawk people *Mohawk hairstyle, from a ...

Indian actress who performed in a theater on the East Coast or in Brantford, Canada. However, the town most likely took its name from the fictional lead character of the 1848 novel ''Viroqua, or, the Flower of the Ottawas'' by Emma Carra.

History

The Native American

Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hocąk, Hoocągra, or Winnebago are a Siouan languages, Siouan-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois ...

people inhabited the area now known as Vernon County and the area of Viroqua. The Ho-Chunk, formerly known as the Winnebago, are a

Siouan Siouan ( ), also known as Siouan–Catawban ( ), is a language family of North America located primarily in the Great Plains, Ohio and Mississippi valleys and southeastern North America with a few other languages in the east. Name Authors who ...

-speaking people who lived in the western Great Lakes region for thousands of years. The Ho-Chunk were removed westward beginning in the 1820s. There was a sharp rivalry between Viroqua and Springville to be named the county seat of Vernon County. A deed for of land was promised by pioneer Moses Decker, on condition that Viroqua be chosen as the county seat. The land constituted what became known as the County Addition to the city of Viroqua. Decker was one of the early settlers in the area. He arrived in 1847 and laid out the village of Viroqua. He died in 1860. Earlier settlers arrived in 1844 and built lumber mills on the Kickapoo River. Farmers began arriving in 1846, some of whom were John Graham, T.J. Defreese and William C. McMichael. In early 1851, the act authorizing the organization of Bad Axe, now Vernon County, was approved by Governor

Nelson Dewey Nelson Webster Dewey (December 19, 1813July 21, 1889) was an American lawyer, land speculator, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the first governor of Wisconsin, and also served in the Wisconsin Senate and served several years in the Wis ...

. Viroqua was awarded the county seat, pending a permanent location to be determined by a vote. In May 1852, residents voted in favor of Viroqua. The present Vernon County Courthouse was built in Viroqua in 1880. On June 28, 1865, Viroqua was hit by a deadly tornado that left 22 dead.

Government

Viroqua is governed by a mayor and city council. The mayor of Viroqua is Justin Running.

Geography

Viroqua is located at (43.556534, -90.887663). 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 , all land. The city is in the Driftless Region, near the western end of the Ocooch Mountains.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 4,504. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 2,231 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.1%

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 ...

, 1.1%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.2%

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 $38,849, and the median income for a family was $55,075. Male full-time workers had a median income of $52,742 versus $39,178 for female workers. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $23,884. About 15.9% of families and 18.1% 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 ...

, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 25.8% of those age 65 or over. Of the population age 25 and over, 94.3% were high school graduates or higher and 25.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 4,362 people, 2,029 households, and 1,059 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 2,208 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.1%

, 0.6%

, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 2,029 households, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.8% were non-families. 43.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 45 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 23.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.1% male and 53.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,335 people, 1,990 households, and 1,112 families residing in the city. The

was 1,327.3 people per square mile (511.9/km²). There were 2,105 housing units at an average density of 644.5 per square mile (248.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.73%

, 0.07%

, 0.16% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.39% from two or more races. 0.69% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 1,990 households, out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.8 males.

Transportation

Viroqua is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 14,

U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designat ...

Wisconsin Highway 27 State Trunk Highway 27 (often called Highway 27, STH-27 or WIS 27) is a state highway (US), state highway in the US state of Wisconsin. The highway spans a length of and is generally two-lane local road with the exception of urban multilane art ...

Wisconsin Highway 56 State Trunk Highway 56 (often called Highway 56, STH-56 or WIS 56) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in southwest Wisconsin from just north of Richland Center to Genoa. On some maps, it is listed as e ...

, and

Wisconsin Highway 82 State Trunk Highway 82 (often called Highway 82, STH-82 or WIS 82) is a state highway in Wisconsin, United States. It runs east–west in southwest and south central Wisconsin from the Iowa border near Lansing, IA to Oxford. This highway ...

. Recently, the highways and major streets in Viroqua were redone. Highways 14, 61, and 27 had lanes added to them to become four lanes, except for the four block section of downtown. That was kept two lanes to allow for parallel parking on the side of the road. Viroqua was on the new airways route between

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 ...

, Wisconsin, and Rockford,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, when it was established in June 1932. The beacon light had about 15 large revolving beacons of 2,000,000

candle power Candlepower (abbreviated as cp or CP) is a unit of measurement for luminous intensity. It expresses levels of light intensity relative to the light emitted by a candle of specific size and constituents. The historical candlepower is equal to 0.981 ...

when it was installed on the Mahlon Lepley farm, four miles (6 km) northeast of Viroqua. Viroqua was formerly served by a

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...

branch line from Sparta via Leon, Melvina, Cashton and Westby.

Bus service

Commuter bus service towards

is provided seven times daily per direction by

Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit or SMRT is a commuter bus system serving the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. It provides four routes which serve Crawford County, La Crosse County, Monroe County and Vernon County. It was recognized by Wisco ...

Airport

Viroqua is serviced by the

Viroqua Municipal Airport Viroqua Municipal Airport, is a city owned public use airport located 2 miles (3 km) north of the central business district of Viroqua, Wisconsin, a city in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. It is included in the Federal Aviati ...

(Y51).

Economy

ViroquaWisconsinDowntownHistoricDistrictUS14US61WIS82WIS27

Viroqua is an accredited Main Street America city. Its downtown is listed on the Wisconsin and

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 ...

. Viroqua was dubbed "The Town That Beat

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

" by ''

Smithsonian Magazine ''Smithsonian'' is a magazine covering science, history, art, popular culture and innovation. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' magazine ...

'' in 1992 because it fostered businesses that co-exist with the retail giant. The city and its nonprofit chamber of commerce, the Viroqua Chamber Main Street, actively promote small business development through several state and federal programs. One noteworthy program that has kept downtown storefronts occupied has been the Pop-Up Shop Initiative, which allow entrepreneurs to use a space downtown rent-free for the holiday season. Viroqua is a site of food tourism, as surrounding Vernon County is home to one of the highest densities of organic farms in the country, with over 200 in the area.

Education

* Viroqua High School * Viroqua Middle School * Viroqua Elementary School
Driftless Folk School
* Pleasant Ridge

Waldorf School Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical ski ...

* English Lutheran School * Youth Initiative High School * Laurel High School * Better Futures High School
Thoreau College
*

Western Technical College Western Technical College (Western or WTC) is a Public college, public technical college in La Crosse, Wisconsin. A member of the Wisconsin Technical College System, the Western Technical College District serves 11 counties and enrolls over 5,00 ...

offers classes in Viroqua

Culture

The Temple Theatre serves as an arts and cultural center for surrounding counties. A $1.6 million restoration of the 1922

classical revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

style

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and movie theater was driven by volunteers. There are a large number of organic farms in the Driftless Region surrounding Viroqua, which supports startup business ventures, restaurants, and a budding tourism industry.

Notable people

* Joseph D. Beck, U.S. Representative *

J. Henry Bennett J. Henry Bennett (1876-1956) was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Biography Bennett was born on November 18, 1876, and died on April 29, 1956. He was buried in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Career Bennett was first elected to the Senate in 1914. Ad ...

, legislator and lawyer * Cyrus M. Butt, legislator and lawyer * Henry Conner, legislator * Andrew H. Dahl, Wisconsin State Legislature *

John Field John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

, football player and coach, businessman * Frederick C. Finkle, geologist *

Amos Fries Amos Alfred Fries (March 17, 1873 – December 30, 1963) was a general in the United States Army and 1898 graduate of the United States Military Academy. Fries was the second chief of the army's Chemical Warfare Service, established during World ...

, United States Army general *

James Gillett James Norris Gillett (September 20, 1860 – April 20, 1937) was an American lawyer and politician. A Republican involved in federal and state politics, Gillett was elected both a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California fr ...

, former

Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The Governor (United States), governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constit ...

* Lawrence Grimsrud, legislator and lawyer * Frank Bateman Keefe, U.S. Representative *

Meade Layne Meade Layne (September 8, 1882May 12, 1961) was an American academic and early researcher of ufology and parapsychology, best known for proposing an early version of the interdimensional hypothesis to explain flying saucer sightings. Early life ...

, early ufologist * Mark C. Lee, United States astronaut *

Bernard Lewison Bernard Lewison (February 7, 1902 – January 13, 1984) was an American politician and businessman. Born in Viroqua, Wisconsin, Lewison went to Lawrence University. He was a farmer, automobile dealer, body shop owner, saving and loan director, an ...

, businessman and legislator *

Craig Minowa Craig Minowa is a singer, songwriter, and composer best known as the frontman for the alternative rock band Cloud Cult. He is also the founder of Earthology Records. Minowa was born Craig Richardson and grew up in Owatonna, Minnesota. Early li ...

, musician and environmental activist *

Chris Mulkey Chris Mulkey (born May 3, 1948) is an American film and television actor and blues and Americana singer-songwriter. Career Mulkey played the supporting role of husband to Annie Potts's character in '' Any Day Now'' from 1998 to 2002. He has ...

, actor and musician, born in Viroqua * Oliver Munson, Wisconsin State Legislature * William Nelson, Wisconsin State Senator * Daniel B. Priest, lawyer and legislator * Brian Rude, Wisconsin State Legislature *

Jeremiah McLain Rusk Jeremiah McLain Rusk (June 17, 1830November 21, 1893) was an American Republican politician. He was the second United States secretary of agriculture (1889–1893) and the 15th governor of Wisconsin (1882–1889), and served three terms ...

, governor of Wisconsin, Secretary of Agriculture * Lycurgus J. Rusk, Wisconsin legislator, soldier and lawyer * Rudy Silbaugh, Wisconsin State Legislature *

Freddie Slack Frederick Charles Slack (August 7, 1910 – August 10, 1965) was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader. Life and career Slack was born in Westby, Wisconsin, United States. He learned to play drums as a boy. Later he took ...

, American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader * August E. Smith, educator and legislator *

Gerald L. K. Smith Gerald Lyman Kenneth Smith (February 27, 1898 – April 15, 1976) was an American Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Disciples clergyman, politician and organizer known for his Populism, populist and Far-right politics, far-right demagoguer ...

, founder of

Share Our Wealth Share Our Wealth was a movement that began in February 1934, during the Great Depression, by Huey Long, a governor and later United States Senator from Louisiana. Long first proposed the plan in a national radio address, which is now referred ...

Movement, grew up in Viroqua *

Jill Soltau Jill Ann Soltau (born 1967) is an American businesswoman who was the CEO of JCPenney from October 2018 through December 2020. She was previously CEO of Jo-Ann Fabrics. Education A native of Viroqua, Wisconsin, Soltau is a 1989 graduate of Univer ...

, Former CEO of JCPenney * J. Henry Tate, Wisconsin legislator and businessmanR. M. Bashford (comp.).
The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin
'. 16th ed. Madison: R. B. Bolens, 1877, p. 448. *

Thorleif T. Peterson Thorleif Alfred "Tulley" Peterson (September 9, 1885 – January 9, 1982) was an American farmer and politician. Peterson was born in the town of Utica, Crawford County, Wisconsin. He was a farmer and was involved with the cheese, creamery, ...

Wisconsin state legislator and farmer * Richard Tubb, personal physician to former president

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, record producer, and songwriter who is the drummer and co-producer of the rock band Garbage. Producer of the diamond selling Nirvana album ''Nevermind'' (1991), Vig also pro ...

, record producer and musician * William V. Weber,

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

State Representative * Jerome H. Wheelock, Wisconsin legislator and educator

Images

File:Viroqua High School.jpg, Viroqua High School / Middle School with elementary school in background File:ViroquaWisconsinSignWIS56.jpg, Sign on

WIS 56 State Trunk Highway 56 (often called Highway 56, STH-56 or WIS 56) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in southwest Wisconsin from just north of Richland Center to Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city i ...

File:VernonCountyFairgroundsUS14US61WIS27.jpg, Vernon County fairgrounds File:Viroqua City Hall.jpg, Viroqua City Hall

References

External links

Official website
*Sanborn fire insurance maps
18921900190519111922
{{Authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Vernon County, Wisconsin County seats in Wisconsin Populated places established in 1844 1844 establishments in Wisconsin Territory