Gem of the Driftless - 11/7/2021

My family recently relocated here from the west coast. This town is a hidden gem. If you like hiking, biking, festivals, nightlife and river life, you’ll love LAX. While the town does have some rough edges, it seems to be moving in the right direction by adding bike paths, restoring historic buildings, and housing the unhoused — to name a few. (And, no fires or smoke filled skies for months on end like you find in the west. Best of all, super affordable real estate.

[Comment on this Posting]

Small city dump - 7/17/2021

This city sucks. First off, the people born and raised here think its great, but its a small little dump tbh. Very clicky and there nothing to do besides drinking at the local bars. I've lived here for 10 years and I regret every minute of it. I'd treat this town like herpes, just stay away...

[Comment on this Posting]

Great town to visit, not live in!!! - 12/13/2020

I have lived in La Crosse for almost 30 years. Its basically a dying town. Their is not much of a future hear unless you like fish fry's on Friday night or going to bars. There really isn't much to do otherwise. They do have festivals during the summer. Very crowded and can be very spendy. The parades can turn very territorial over spots to sit to enjoy the parades. This is becoming a retirement town or a college town. And there is a big drug problem in this town to. Planning on moving out of this town soon. Its a neat town to visit, but definitely not to stay and grow up a family. Eau Claire has more to offer!

[Comment on this Posting]

Jeremy schwem - 4/15/2018

This is where I was born Lacrosse Wisconsin and yes nice no Falls in the winter time I wish I can come back

[Comment on this Posting]

Jeremy schwem - 4/15/2018

This is where I was born Lacrosse Wisconsin and yes nice no Falls in the winter time I wish I can come back

[Comment on this Posting]

Not bad - I liked it except for State Government - 1/22/2018

Well, not bad really. Pretty and they were kind to their poor. I think anyplace that is kind to their poor has to have value (and that's not just because I am not affluent - I was very middle class at one time and I still thought so). People - so so and a mix. Some real good ones. Some not. Medical stunk there. They had this great big medical place which wouldn't do anything for me - very fancy and state of the Art and would not do anything for me! I despised that and would never return to that hospital or system - that's for sure! And if you cannot get good medical, then what's the point? Somebody will always need that at some time in life - its a must. Its very Catholic but it was one of the better "Catholic" places for me. They were pretty decent to me, really, overall. However, I received some "hate"phone calls. Literally at 2 am somebody anonymous called me up to say "get out". Police did nothing of course. So other than that, and it was very difficult to get established. People are easily judged adversely. It was a mix. Some of it very good - some really not. I don't know - mixed feelings but some of it still has my heart. Wisconsin has (or had - I don't know now) a weird State Government that I thought was "Gestapo" (somebody told me it was not that bad, but it literally scared me). I think I could have been employed better there. I had some good offers. But with it run so badly as a State, I am learning that is bad for me. I don't think I'd try it again. Despite the good parts of it for me.

[Comment on this Posting]

Not too bad to live in - 1/30/2017

I visited LaCrosse, WI and my feelings are a bit mixed. In the end, I decided it might not be a bad place to live. However, at first, I found them very bad to newcomers. In time, though, I thought it might be a good place to live, and make friends. I recommend at least trying it.

[Comment on this Posting]

Job Market - 12/13/2016

If you are looking for a quality job that you can grow in, don't look to La Crosse. The average job for any person with a Bachelor's degree and one years experience is starting at $15/Hr. If you are looking for a factory job or any other labor job, you will be able to find a job along those lines. Don't expect to get rich or have a comfortable lifestyle that involves travel here. There also seems to be a huge drinking and drug problem here.

[Comment on this Posting]

Downtown - 10/29/2015

The revitalized downtown La Crosse is an excellent place for people of all ages. Families can take their children to enjoy the various ice cream and candy shops, play in the parks, or go see a movie. Adults can enjoy a variety of nighttime entertainment, from the college scene to the professional atmosphere. It has wonderful, historic buildings with an excellent riverwalk and a beautiful view of the bluffs.

[Comment on this Posting]

You get what you pay for on taxes - 1/9/2012

Those on this forum who complain about taxes and drinking and say there is not much to do in La Crosse simply are not looking very hard. If you add up all of the cultural events and happenings at UW-L, Viterbo & the pump house, all of the free outdoor jazz concerts all summer long, the fantastic live music scene downtown, nature events at Hixon Ecopark...La Crosse is a pretty happening place for its size. Also, the hiking and cross country skiing you can do right in city limits (La Crosse River Marsh, Hixon Forest) is awesome. This person doesn't know what the heck they are talking about. I have also lived many places in the country of all sizes, and it is hard to beat La Crosse's civic engagement. The community gets involved in all kinds of festivals, fundraisers, etc. For example, a number of organizations team up to decorate Riverside Park with millions of lights and people can drive through and donate money, food, etc. to local organizations after they are done. It's a pretty amazing example of people coming together for a good cause. It doesn't happen everywhere, believe me. Culturally speaking, it ain't Minneapolis or Madison, but La Crosse holds its own for a city its size. And finally, regarding the high taxes (my God I am so sick of you tax complainers). You are getting so frickin annoying. La Crosse spends $2000 more per child than the national average. And it shows in the quality of the facilities, teacher ratios, etc. So, if you want to pay more but get more, La Crosse may be one of your best bets. If you want low taxes and low quality services, move to Texas with Governor Perry.

[Comment on this Posting]

AWSOME! - 11/17/2009

I have lived in LaCrosse for my whole life. Im a teenager in one of the high schools and i love it the schools are great im not into drugs at all and i dont drink. i have tons of friends and we love to hang out. Theres so much to do here theres a million bowling allies to hang out in, and on friday nights i go hang out at this teen hangout place that is completly supervised! me and my boyfriend go out to eat all the time there are tons of resturants around and movies theaters to go to. i love it here i never wanna move away. This is a very good city to decide to live in and when i decide to get married and have kids this is the only city i see myself raising my children. very good place to live

[Comment on this Posting]

Beauty of La Crosse, WI - 11/16/2009

We have great bike/walking trails in and nearby our community. The beauty of our area with views of the bluffs and the Mississippi River truly are outstanding!

[Comment on this Posting]

Beware . . . - 6/23/2008

Me and my family were looking for a quaint little town to settle down in, and made a big mistake choosing La Crosse. Yes, it is beautiful, but that is about it. There is nothing to do, the people are stuck up and superficial. It is very cold here as well, which makes it worse because all there really is to do is drink. My sister made friends here and got involved with drungs and alchohol. She told us that is all the kids do because that is all there is to do. So parents with teen's, beware. We only stayed here for 6 months and quickly packed up and left.

[Comment on this Posting]

A good town - 2/10/2008

My husband and I live in Eastern Wisconsin at the time but we still spend much time in the La Crosse area. I understand the comment made about property tax being high. This tax is high all over Wisconsin. But for the average middle class citizen Minnesota's and Wisconsin's resident combined taxes equal out to be about the same. If you want to see your hard earned income go to taxes, Minnesota and Wisconsin are two of the highest in the U.S. La Crosse is an industrial town. It is also a University town that's located in Wisconsin, a state that claims the right to be the beer drinking capitol of the U.S. The university also brings an awesome draw of diversity to the community which offers a variety of 'events'and sporting activities. Quality of life here is what you make it. The lay of the land is gorgeous with its lush green hills in summer and the Mississippi river below. You get the best of land and water. The climate is very mid-western, hot humid summers and cold winters. Housing is reasonable in comparison with other metro areas of its size in Wisconsin, and a little lower than in MN. For medical services, LaCrosse has a draw of patients from both Iowa and Minnesota! Before moving here we lived in the burbs of Minneapolis for 25 years. La Crosse has a lot to offer!

[Comment on this Posting]

A good review about la crosse - 3/8/2007

I grew up in northern minnesota, and have recently moved to La Crosse for Grad school. I am very impressed with the university. The scenery is beautiful and there are plenty of hiking and biking trails to go around. I am not sure what the other poster is commenting on, but I find plenty to do around La Crosse. It does very well in the music, restaurant, outdoors scene considering the size of the city. There does seem to be a SMALL crime scene and I barely notice coming from the twin cities. I have found the job market very good in the areas of healthcare, software eng, and mech eng. I have also heard very good things about the school system. Prop taxes are high though! I plan on staying for a while.

[Comment on this Posting]

overall - 11/24/2006

I lived in LAX for about 6 years and will NEVER go back!!!! There are no real jobs, people survive on 2-3 part-time minimum wage jobs with no health insurance. Some people suppliment that with dealing drugs. Since this is the Tri-State area, there is an amazing amount of drugs coming through. It's not as violent as in other cities with this problem though. Since this is also a heavy drinking town, there is a huge (covered up) problem with young white males drowning (murder?) in the Mississippi River and young women getting sexual assaulted. The police seem to be very corrupt and inept. If you hear a sound at your door, it could be a burglar or a cop, you never know.... They are about the same here. There is a very good crime victims unit here at the hospital though for after you get victimized. There are 2 hospitals, but one at least is trying to cover their new additions so it is very expensive to go there. There's not much to do here especially if you are under 21 or don't have a fake ID.

[Comment on this Posting]

Property taxes are high - 9/20/2006

I live across the border in MN because I can't aford the property taxes to live in LaCrosse. If you are thinking about moving to a "nice small town", think again. The job market stinks with very little opportunity for advancement. I've lived in this area for about 15 years and about the only good thing to say about the city is the beautiful scenery of the bluffs and Mississippi River. Not much to do here either, their idea of a good time is getting drunk at Octoberfest.

[Comment on this Posting]