Campbell is a town in the middle of the
Mississippi River 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, United States. It is part of the
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 ...
,
Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,358 as of the 2010 Census.
All of the town's population resides in its eastern portion, on the section of French Island denoted
French Island French Island can refer to:
*French Island (Victoria), in Australia
*French Island, Wisconsin, in the United States
* French Island No. 1 and French Island No. 2 in the Ohio River in Kentucky
*French Island, an island in Ellis Pond, Oxford County, ...
CDP by the
United States Census Bureau. Some of the island is part of the city of La Crosse. The Town of Campbell borders the city of
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 ...
.
Two origins of Campbell's name
The town was originally created in 1851, and was officially named after
Erasmus D. Campbell
Erasmus Daniel Campbell (January 11, 1811 – April 16, 1873) was an American Democratic politician who served as the 6th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, and 2nd Mayor of La Crosse, Wisconsin. In historical sources, he was sometimes referr ...
, a former
Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. Today, the Town of Campbell is confined to part of a large island bordered by the
Mississippi and
Black rivers and
Lake Onalaska
Lake Onalaska is a reservoir located on the Black River and Mississippi River between Wisconsin, and Minnesota. It is approximately across, and is the widest point on the Mississippi River. Located in La Crosse County in the state of Wisconsin, ...
. This island has been traditionally known as "French Island." Joseph French, one of the earliest settlers of the town arrived in May 1851. French's family originated from
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
, England. Later,
French-Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...
settlers, primarily farmers from the Canadian
Province of Quebec, settled on the island-part of Campbell, then a much larger town between the incorporated settlements of
Onalaska and
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 ...
.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.57 square miles (32.556 km
2).Of this, 3.84 square miles (9.95 km
2) is land and 8.73 square miles (22.6 km
2) of it (69.44%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 4,410 people, 1,754 households, and 1,266 families residing in the town. The
population density was 1,148.0 people per square mile (443.4/km
2). There were 1,823 housing units at an average density of 474.5 p, er square mile (183.3/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.49%
White, 0.52%
African American, 0.52%
Native American, 1.09%
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 ...
, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.27% from
other races, and 1.09% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
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 0.68% of the population.
There were 1,754 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $44,736, and the median income for a family was $55,439. Males had a median income of $37,165 versus $25,267 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $20,741. About 4.6% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The
French Island Generating Plant
French Island Generating Plant is a waste fired electrical power station located on French Island in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Unit 1 and 2 are boiler / steam turbine units originally constructed in the 1940s operating on coal. They were converted ...
is located in the town.
Transportation
The
La Crosse Regional Airport occupies the northern part of
French Island French Island can refer to:
*French Island (Victoria), in Australia
*French Island, Wisconsin, in the United States
* French Island No. 1 and French Island No. 2 in the Ohio River in Kentucky
*French Island, an island in Ellis Pond, Oxford County, ...
.
Notable people
*
Dan Kapanke
Daniel E. Kapanke is a former Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 32nd District from 2005 until losing his seat to Jennifer Shilling in the 2011 Wisconsin Senate recall elections.
Early life, education and career
Kapanke ...
, businessman and politician
*
Ron Kind, lawyer and politician
Notes
References
Campbell town, La Crosse County, WisconsinUnited States Census Bureau
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Towns in La Crosse County, Wisconsin
Towns in Wisconsin