Onalaska ( ) is a city in

La Crosse County, Wisconsin 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 Metropo ...

, United States. The population was 18,803 at the 2020 census. It borders the larger

La Crosse, Wisconsin 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 202 ...

, and is a part of the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Area. Onalaska is built on a slightly elevated ridge above the Black River. Natural areas include both river bottom land and high, heavily wooded, scenic bluffs. A man-made reservoir at the city's western edge is known as Lake Onalaska. Onalaska is known as "The Sunfish Capital of the World."

History

The original village (now city) was platted by Thomas G. Rowe (New York) and John C. Laird (Pennsylvania) in 1851. In its early days, lumbering and related industries served as a basis for its economy. According to local legend, the city's name comes from the 1799 poem ''The Pleasures of Hope'', by the Scottish poet Thomas Campbell, which makes one mention of "Oonalaska's shore" in a passage about the remote reaches of a sailor's explorations. "Oonalaska" was an alternative spelling for

Unalaska Island Unalaska (, ) is a volcanic island in the Fox Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in the US state of Alaska located at . The island has a land area of . It measures long and wide. The city of Unalaska, Alaska, covers part of the island a ...

Russian Alaska From 1732 to 1867, the Russian Empire laid claim to northern Pacific Coast territories in the Americas. Russian colonial possessions in the Americas were collectively known as Russian America from 1799 to 1867. It consisted mostly of present-d ...

, one of the principal

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...

. Early settler Harvey Hubbard recounted that the poem was one of Thomas Rowe's favorites, leading him to choose the name. However, local historian George Tabbert argued that the name was more likely inspired by the story of a

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

woman named Onalaska who died around 1780 in what is now

Richland County, Ohio Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 124,936. Its county seat is Mansfield. The county was created in 1808 and later organized in 1813. It is named for the fertile soil found ...

. By the 1840s, the woman's name was used in a variety of places, including a New York ferryboat that Rowe would likely have been familiar with. Other places named Onalaska are in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

(now defunct),

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and Washington.

Geography

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 , of which is land and is water. Onalaska lies immediately north of La Crosse, on the Black River. It is the second-largest city in

. Named streams within the current corporate limits of the city include the Black River, the La Crosse River and Sand Lake Coulee Creek. In the 1930s, the construction of Lake Onalaska resulted in the flooding and eventual disappearance of a shallow, natural body of water, Rice Lake, and several smaller ponds in the Black River bottoms area. Brice Prairie is an urban reserve area within the City of Onalaska, located below the ridge on which most of the city is situated. It lies to the northwest of the city's current northern border and is directly on Lake Onalaska.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 18,803. 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 8,241 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.6%

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 ...

, 8.0% Asian, 1.1%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.6%

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.

2013 income statistics

According to 2009–2013 ACS estimates, the

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $55,982 and the median family income was $74,182. Males had a median income of $47,745 versus $35,292 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 $31,491. About 3.4% of families and 6.8% 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 8.1% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

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 17,736 people, 7,331 households, and 4,792 families living in the city. The

was . There were 7,608 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.7%

, 1.1%

, 0.3% Native American, 5.7% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population. There were 7,331 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% 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, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the city was 38.5 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.9% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 14,839 people, 5,893 households, and 4,036 families living in the city. The

was 1,631.6 people per square mile (630.3/km²). There were 6,070 housing units at an average density of 667.4 per square mile (257.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.17%

, 0.63%

, 0.20% Native American, 2.80% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 0.95% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 5,893 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were

living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $47,800, and the median income for a family was $57,264. Males had a median income of $41,335 versus $25,316 for females. The

for the city was $24,066. About 4.5% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the

, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Onalaska is served by two school districts, Onalaska and Holmen. Onalaska School District schools include Onalaska High School, Onalaska Middle School, Eagle Bluff Elementary School, Northern Hills Elementary School and Irving Pertzsch Elementary School. Parochial schools in the city include Luther High School, a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

high school of the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

, St. Patrick Elementary School, part of La Crosse Aquinas Catholic Schools, and St. Pauls Lutheran School, serving grades Pre-K through 8.

Media

*Onalaska's newspaper is the ''Onalaska/Holmen Courier-Life.'' *Onalaska's tourism Instagram is @discoveronalaska

Economy

Onalaska Omni Center is Onalaska's convention center and indoor arena. It is the second largest convention center in southwest Wisconsin, after the La Crosse Center.

Transportation

Onalaska is served by the La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility, which provides public transit on three routes in Onalaska. Until 1963, Onalaska had a train station which served the Dakota 400. La Crosse Regional Airport is nearby.

Gallery of Historic Places

Buildings A building or edifice is an enclosed structure with a roof, walls and windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout ...

, sites,

structures A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

, and objects in Onalaska listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

File:FrankEugeneNicholsHouse2010.jpg, Frank Eugene Nichols House File:PublicSchoolOnalaskaWI.JPG, Onalaska High School

Notable people

* Biddy Dolan,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player *

Tim Gullikson Timothy Ernest Gullikson (September 8, 1951 – May 3, 1996) was a tennis player and coach who was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin and grew up in Onalaska, Wisconsin in the United States. Gullikson was Pete Sampras' coach from 1992 to 1995. Tennis ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player * Carlie Hanson, singer-songwriter * Theresa Knutson,

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player * Ken Kratz (born ), lawyer, former district attorney of

Calumet County, Wisconsin Calumet County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,442. The county seat is Chilton. The county was created in 1836 (then in the Wisconsin Territory) and organized in 1850. Calum ...

; law license was suspended for four months after sexting scandal * Sandra Lee, television chef * Misty Lown, dance teacher, studio owner and author * Shane Mauss, stand-up comedian *

Tom Newberry Thomas J. Newberry (born December 20, 1962) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Guard (American football), guard for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Los Angeles R ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player * Frank Pooler (Wisconsin politician), Wisconsin businessman, state legislator, mayor of Onalaska * Frank Pooler, choral director and songwriter ("Merry Christmas Darling") * Mark Proksch, actor and comedian * Clayton Rand, journalist and writer * Harry W. Schilling, farmer, Wisconsin state legislator'Wisconsin Blue Book 1952,' Biographical Sketch of Harry W. Schilling, pg. 52 * William H. Stevenson, U.S. Representative * Matt Thomas, professional basketball player * Leila Usher, artist

Images

File:Onalaska, Wisconsin.jpg, Onalaska, Wisconsin commercial area on Highway 16 File:Onalaska, from Lake Onalaska 10-20-16.jpg, alt=A landscape photo of Onalaska Wisconsin taken in the fall from Lake Onalaka shows a sunny sky of blue above with clouds and the cool blue waters of Lake Onalaska below in the foreground. Sandwiched between is a horizontal ribbon that shows the city elevated 100 feet above the water and tree covered bluffs in the not to distant background. A few houses along highway 35 are barely visible., View of Onalaska Wisconsin from Lake Onalaska. File:OnalaskaWisconsinSignWIS35.jpg, Looking north at the welcome sign on Wisconsin Highway 35 File:Day22-yourtown.jpg, Welcome sign coming from Interstate 90 on Highway 16 File:Onalaska City Hall.jpg, Onalaska City Hall File:Onalaska by Air.jpg, Onalaska by Air File:YMCA Onalaska.jpg, YMCA in Onalaska, Wisconsin File:Onalaska library.jpg, Onalaska library File:Onalaska Omni Center.jpg, Onalaska Omni Center File:Lake Onalaska 3.jpg, Lake Onalaska File:Onalaska High School Building.JPG, Onalaska High School File:Gundersen hospital 2.jpg, Gundersen Hospital File:Onalaska Wisconsin Lake Onalaska.jpg, Sunny the Sunfish File:Onalaska long term debt.webp, Onalaska long term debt File:Onalaska 2022 budget.jpg, Onalaska 2022 City Budget

References

External links

City of Onalaska
*
La Crosse Convention & Visitors Bureau
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in La Crosse County, Wisconsin Populated places established in 1851 1851 establishments in Wisconsin