La Farge is a village along the

Kickapoo River The Kickapoo River is a tributary of the Wisconsin River in the state of Wisconsin, United States. It is named for the Kickapoo people, Kickapoo Indians who occupied Wisconsin before the influx of white settlers in the early 19th century. Water ...

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. Its population was 730 at the 2020 census.

Geography

La Farge is located at (43.576572, -90.638239). 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 village has a total area of , of which is covered by water. The

flows through the village.

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, 746 people, 332 households, and 186 families lived in the village. 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 . The 375 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.1% White, 0.3% African American, 1.6% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.4% of the population. Of the 332 households, 24.7% had children under 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.0% were not families. About 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.17, and the average family size was 2.78. The median age in the village was 42.8 years; 20.5% of residents were under 18; 7.7% were 18 to 24; 24.7% were 25 to 44; 28.1% were 45 to 64; and 19% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, 775 people, 342 households, and 200 families resided in the village. The

was 745.4 people per square mile (287.7/km²). The 366 housing units had an average density of 352.0 per square mile (135.9/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.29% White, 0.13% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.65% of the population. There were 342 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.90. In the village, the age distribution was 25.7% under 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $23,083, and for a family was $33,750. Males had a median income of $26,818 versus $19,833 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 village was $14,191. About 12.1% of families and 14.4% 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 18.3% of those under 18 and 10.7% of those 65 or over.

Transportation

La Farge is located at "the Corners", the intersection and concurrency of

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 ...

and

Wisconsin Highway 131 State Trunk Highway 131 (also called Highway 131, STH-131 or WIS 131) is a state highway (US), state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The highway is located in Wisconsin's Driftless Area, passing through Crawford County, Wisconsin, ...

Economy

La Farge is home to the headquarters of

Organic Valley Organic Valley (OV) is an organic food brand and independent agricultural cooperative, cooperative of Organic farming, organic farmers based in La Farge, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1988 and it is the largest farmer owned organic colle ...

, a farmer-owned organic-culture cooperative. The economy of the Kickapoo Vally above La Farge has evolved slowly over the past 150 years.

Fur trading The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

was the first economic activity. 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 ...

and other Native Americans sold pelts of

beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

muskrat The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...

, to European and then American traders in exchange for European and American goods.

was common from the late 1600s to the 1840s, when

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksLa Farge, Wisconsin
{{authority control Villages in Vernon County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin