French Island is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

La Crosse County La Crosse County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the county's population was 120,784. Its county seat is the city of La Crosse. La Crosse County is included in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropol ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, United States. The population was 4,207 at the 2010 census. It lies on an island of the same name, though they are not coextensive; a portion of the island is part of the city of

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 ...

. All of the island is part of the La Crosse Metropolitan Statistical Area. French Island is part of the town of Campbell and contains all of its population, because the balance of Campbell is uninhabited.

Geography

French Island is located in western La Crosse County. It is surrounded by waterways connected to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

: French Slough, French Lake, 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 ...

to the west, and the Black River and Richmond Bay to the east. Two parts of the dam forming Lake Onalaska on the Mississippi connect to French Island: one at the head of French Lake, and the other impounding the Black River. The neighborhood of West La Crosse is in the southern part of the CDP. 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 French Island CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 19.76%, are water. The entire island's land area is .

Demographics

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 2000, there were 4,410 people, 1,754 households, and 1,266 families residing in the CDP. 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 2,207.6 people per square mile (851.4/km²). There were 1,823 housing units at an average density of 912.6/sq mi (351.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.49%

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 ...

, 0.52%

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 ...

, 0.52% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.27% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races.

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 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 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, 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 CDP, 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 CDP 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 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 CDP was $20,741. About 4.6% of families and 5.1% 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 8.0% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The French Island Generating Plant is located at the south end of French Island, within the La Crosse city limits.

Transportation

The island is accessible from the mainland by automobile, by way of the

I-90 Mississippi River Bridge The I-90 Mississippi River Bridge, or the Dresbach Bridge, consists of a pair of parallel bridges that traverse the Mississippi River, connecting the La Crosse, Wisconsin area to Dresbach in rural Winona County, Minnesota. The current bridge ...

and from North La Crosse via the Clinton Street Bridge at the extreme southern end of the island. There is another bridge about four miles downstream, the

La Crosse West Channel Bridge The La Crosse West Channel Bridge is a plate girder bridge that spans the west channel of the Mississippi River between Barron Island in Wisconsin, and La Crescent, MN. Together with the Mississippi River Bridge it forms a connection between ...

, which connects Barron Island to

La Crescent, Minnesota La Crescent ( ) is a city in Houston and Winona counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,276 at the 2020 census. La Crescent is located in the northeast portion of Houston County; the northern edge of the city falls into ...

La Crosse MTU The La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility or MTU is the primary provider of mass transportation in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Using 21 buses, eleven regular routes are provided from Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, the MTU runs six routes, and five ...

provides bus service from French Island to North La Crosse. The

La Crosse Regional Airport La Crosse Regional Airport is a public airport located northwest of La Crosse, a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. Until August 2013 the airport was called La Crosse Municipal Airport. It occupies the northern area of Fren ...

occupies the northern part of French Island and is within the La Crosse city limits.

Notable people

Dan Kapanke Daniel E. Kapanke is an American businessman and politician who was a former Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 32nd District from 2005 until losing his seat to Jennifer Shilling in the 2 ...

, businessman and politician *

Ron Kind Ronald James Kind (born March 16, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1997 to 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His former district is in western Wisconsin, anchored by La Cross ...

, lawyer and politician

References

French Island (island): Census Tract 103, La Crosse County, Wisconsin; French Island CDP, Wisconsin
United States Census Bureau

External links

Town of Campbell, Wisconsin
{{authority control Census-designated places in La Crosse County, Wisconsin Census-designated places in Wisconsin