city, seat (1851) of La Crosse county, western Wisconsin, U.S. It lies along the Mississippi River at the influx of the La Crosse River, about 130 miles (210 km) northwest of Madison. The settlement developed around a trading post (1841) on a site that French explorers named Prairie La Crosse, for the game of lacrosse played by the Ho-Chunk Nation (Winnebago (Ho-Chunk)) and Sioux Indians there. A natural river port, it became an important transportation and sawmilling centre and was reached by rail in 1858. With the decline of lumbering around 1900, La Crosse developed breweries, most of which had closed by the end of the 20th century.

La Crosse's manufactures include heating and air-conditioning systems, rubber and plastic footwear, and textiles; there is also still some lumber processing in the area. The city is the seat of Viterbo University (1890) and the University of Wisconsin (Wisconsin, University of)–La Crosse (1909), as well as a technical college (1911). La Crosse's annual Oktoberfest attracts numerous visitors. The city has museums devoted to dolls, modern technology, and local history. Inc. 1856. Pop. (1990) city, 51,003; La Crosse MSA, 116,401; (2000) city, 51,818; La Crosse MSA, 126,838.