La Crescent ( ) is a city in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

and Winona counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. 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 Winona County. The city is known as the "Apple Capital of Minnesota" because John S. Harris planted apple trees here, resulting in many orchards in the present-day city. It is recognized as a 'Tree City' by the Arbor Day Foundation, and a 'Minnesota GreenStep City' by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

History

Lying on the west bank of 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 ...

, the city is surrounded by bluffs with views of the river and abundant wildlife. Humans have inhabited this area for thousands of years. The most recent inhabitants before the arrival of white settlers were the

Dakota people The Dakota (pronounced , or ) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe (Native American), tribe and First Nations in Canada, First Nations band government in North America. They compose two of the three main subcultur ...

, a branch of the

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

, and the

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 ...

, or Winnebago. Following the 1803

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

, Nathan Boone, youngest son of

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

, was among the early surveyors of this area. The various Indian

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

s who had lived here were forced out and relocated in the 1840s to accommodate white settlement. La Crescent was founded in 1851 by Peter and Emma Cameron, who called it "Camerons". The Camerons were two of the town's most colorful characters; he tried to dig a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

to change the flow of the Mississippi River so it would flow closer to La Crescent and bypass La Crosse,

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 ...

across the river. He died 10 weeks before its scheduled completion in 1857, and the canal was never finished, although the canal can still be seen in aerial photographs of the city. The

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

Sheldon Jackson lived in La Crescent prior to 1872, when he moved westward to

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

and later

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. The second name of La Crescent was "Manton", named by William and Harvey Gillett, after they cleared the

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

area for settlement for Peter Cameron. In quick succession, the town's name was changed again by a somewhat unscrupulous land speculation venture, the Kentucky Land Company. They wanted a more romantic-sounding name for the town to attract settlers and came up with "La Crescent", after the bend or "

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...

" shape of the Mississippi River around the town. La Crescent incorporated in 1857. Horticulturalist John S. Harris arrived in La Crescent in 1856, who helped give the town its identity of "Apple Capital of Minnesota", a title that the city copyrighted in 2002. Despite the belief of "99 out of 100 people that

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

s could not grow in Minnesota", Harris planted the area's first apple trees in 1857, experimenting until he grew trees hardy enough to withstand Minnesota winters. He planted thousands of apple trees and hundreds of varieties, a full half of which he said were total failures. Harris became known as "Father of the Orchardists" in Minnesota, and was a founding member of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society.

Geography

La Crescent MN swing bridge opened to river traffic

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 ; is land and is water. La Crescent sits three miles southwest across the Mississippi River from

Onalaska, Wisconsin Onalaska ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,803 at the 2020 census. It borders the larger La Crosse, Wisconsin, and is a part of the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Area. Onalaska is buil ...

and west of the northern part of La Crosse.

Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...

is 21 miles to the northwest of La Crescent. It is the largest city in Houston County and the second largest in Winona County.

Bluffs

La Crescent is known for having more bluffs than most Minnesota cities. It lies on the side of a large bluff, with other large hills within the city. Since La Crescent is below the normal level of the rest of the area, the bluffside provides some protection from winds.

Lake

La Crescent sits next to Blue Lake, which the US Fish and Wildlife Service lists as a high quality wetland, due to its diverse species, with year-round fishing. Most visible around the lake are migratory bird species such as Wood Ducks, Ruddy Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Least and American Bitterns, Common Morrhends, Night Herons, Sandhill Cranes, and Tundra Swans. In the early spring, the water appears clear, before natural aquatic vegetation grows over.

Demographics

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 4,830 people, 2,012 households, and 1,370 families in the city. 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 2,126 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.5%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.8% 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 1.1% of the population. There were 2,012 households, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% 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, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 42.8 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 30.4% were from 45 to 64; and 16.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,923 people, 1,940 households, and 1,367 families in the city. The population density was . There were 2,014 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.60%

, 0.43%

, 0.08% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population. There were 1,940 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.02. The city population contained 27.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% above age 64. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females over age 17, there were 89.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $45,433, and the median income for a family was $54,708. Males had a median income of $40,316 versus $24,308 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 city was $21,361. About 0.8% of families and 3.9% 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 1.9% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those above age 64.

Education

The La Crescent–Hokah Public Schools is the city's largest public school district, and Melinda Crowley is superintendent (February 2023). It includes La Crescent–Hokah Elementary School and La Crescent–Hokah Secondary School. The other public school district, La Crescent Montessori Academy & STEM school, serves grades pre-k through 12th grade under Head of School, Thomas Pollreis. Other educational opportunities include the private school Crucifixion Catholic Elementary. The La Crescent Public Library serves the local community.La Crescent Public Library (accessed May 25, 2020)
/ref>

Notable people

* Siri Carpenter (born 1971), science journalist, editor * Eriah Hayes (born 1988), professional hockey player, current boys hockey coach at LCHS * Sheldon Jackson (1834–1909), Presbyterian minister, missionary, political leader * Marguerite Kerrigan (1931–2022), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player * Peter Pernin Pastor (1822–1909), survivor and memoirist of the Peshtigo fire * Michelle Rifenberg (born 1957), Minnesota politician * Ken Tschumper (1950–2024), Minnesota politician and farmer * Al W. Wieser, Jr. (born 1949), Minnesota state legislator and businessman

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Highways 14 and 61; and Minnesota State Highway 16 serve as main routes in the community. The northern edge of La Crescent is skirted by Interstate 90 and I-90 Mississippi River Bridge. The Great River Road, a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the

, passes through La Crescent via US 61 and a short piece of MN 16. Bus service to La Crosse is operated by La Crosse MTU and has 13 trips daily through La Crescent. A pedestrian pathway known as the Wagon Wheel Trail connects La Crescent and most notably Mississippi River Trail to La Crosse and several trails in the Wisconsin bike trail system, notably the Great River Trail.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Minnesota Minnesota populated places on the Mississippi River Cities in Houston County, Minnesota Cities in Winona County, Minnesota