West Salem is a village in

La Crosse County La Crosse County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 120,784. Its county seat is La Crosse. La Crosse County is included in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area with ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States, along the

La Crosse River The La Crosse River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 5, 2012 tributary of the Mississippi River in southwestern Wisconsin in the United States. Course The L ...

. It is part of the

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

. The population was 4,799 as of the 2010 Census.

History

West Salem was platted in 1856. It was named Salem by a Baptist minister named Elder Card because the word meant "peace" in Arabic and Hebrew. The word West was added to the name when mail was confused with another town in the state named Salem. The donation of approximately ten acres of land to a railway company led to the creation of West Salem. A station was built in West Salem on the original Milwaukee and La Crosse Railway which ran to La Crosse. It was later taken over by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway (later becoming the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad). The railway used the land to build a depot and tracks.

Geography

West Salem is located at (43.899795, -91.086614). 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 the ...

, the village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.

Demographics

PalmerGullicksonOctagonHouseWestSalemWisconsin

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 4,799 people, 1,831 households, and 1,259 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,869 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.7%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.3% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 1,831 households, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age in the village was 39.2 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,541 people, 1,706 households, and 1,230 families living in the village. The

was 1,911.2 people per square mile (736.5/km²). There were 1,765 housing units at an average density of 743.0 per square mile (286.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.04%

, 0.51%

, 0.42% Native American, 0.44%

, 0.07% from

, and 0.53% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.59% of the population. There were 1,706 households, out of which 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.09. In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $43,449, and the median income for a family was $50,176. Males had a median income of $34,459 versus $22,439 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $19,904. About 3.3% of families and 3.5% 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 4.0% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The village president is Dennis Manthei. The village administrator is Teresa Schnitzler. The village treasurer is Benjamin Heller.

Education

The

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

West Salem School District consists of: * West Salem Elementary School * West Salem Middle School * West Salem High School The private schools are:

Coulee Region Christian School West Salem WI

* Coulee Region Christian School * Christ Saint John's Lutheran School

Transportation

Bus service towards

La Crosse La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's populat ...

or Tomah is provided three 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 Wisconsin ...

.https://ridesmrt.com/wp-content/uploads/SMRT-Bus-Sched.pdf

Historic sites

* The

Hamlin Garland House The Hamlin Garland House is a historic house at 356 West Garland Street in West Salem, Wisconsin, USA. It was from 1893 to the 1910s the principal residence of writer Hamlin Garland (1860–1940). Garland was a prominent and well-regarded writ ...

* The Palmer Brother's Octagons

Parks and recreation

*Veterans Memorial Park * Lake Neshonoc *

La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway The La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway is a semi-banked asphalt oval racetrack in West Salem, Wisconsin. The outer track is 5/8 mile and the inner track is a 1/4 mile. The speedway has progressive banking in the corners, from 5 degrees on the bottom t ...

Notable people

* Charles S. Benton, U.S. Representative from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

* Tom Black,

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player, graduated from high school in West Salem. *

George G. Bingham George Greenwood Bingham (November 25, 1855 – October 4, 1924) was an American judge and legal educator in the state of Oregon. A native of Wisconsin, he migrated to Oregon with his family in his teens, though he returned to the Midwest for ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

jurist * Frank P. Coburn,

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Hamlin Garland Hannibal Hamlin Garland (September 14, 1860 – March 4, 1940) was an American novelist, poet, essayist, short story writer, Georgist, and psychical researcher. He is best known for his fiction involving hard-working Midwestern farmers. Biog ...

, writer - West Salem was his summer house, but he was born here. * Harry W. Griswold,

Jay L. Johnson Jay Lynn Johnson (born June 5, 1946) is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the 26th Chief of Naval Operations from 1996 to 2000. He was later president and chief executive officer of General Dynamics. Early life Johnson was born ...

, United States admiral *

Mabel Johnson Leland Mabel Johnson Leland (September 7, 1871 – March 23, 1947) was an American lecturer on Scandinavian literature and translator from Norwegian to English. Her most notable work with the translation of Arne Garborg's ''The Lost Father'' from the Ne ...

, lecturer, translator *

Damian Miller Damian Donald Miller (born October 13, 1969) is a former professional baseball catcher. He won the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, beating the New York Yankees. High school years Miller attended West Salem High School in West S ...

, major league baseball player * William F. Miller, Wisconsin legislator *

Norbert Nuttelman Norbert Nuttelman (March 8, 1911 – June 14, 1986) was an American Republican politician and farmer from Wisconsin. Born in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, Nuttelman was educated in the public schools in West Salem, Wisconsin. Nuttelman was a fa ...

, Wisconsin legislator and farmer * Arthur H. Parmelee, football coach and physician

Images

File:WestSalemWisconsinSignWIS16.jpg, Looking east at West Salem on

WIS 16 State Trunk Highway 16 (often called Highway 16, STH-16 or WIS 16) is a Wisconsin state highway running from Pewaukee across the state to La Crosse. Much of its route in the state parallels the former mainline of the Milwaukee Road and curr ...

File:WestSalemWisconsinPostOffice.jpg, Post office File:WestSalemCommunityCenterWisconsin.jpg, Community Center File:Hazel Brown Leicht Memorial Library West Salem WI.jpg, Hazel Brown Leicht Memorial Library

References

External links

Village of West Salem website

* Sanborn fire insurance maps
18941898190419101922
{{authority control Villages in La Crosse County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin Populated places established in 1856