La Crescent, Minnesota

Infobox Settlement
official_name = La Crescent, Minnesota
settlement_type = City
nickname =
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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of La Crescent, Minnesota


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Minnesota
subdivision_type2 = Counties
subdivision_name2 = Houston, Winona

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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 8.7
area_land_km2 = 7.8
area_water_km2 = 0.9
area_total_sq_mi = 3.3
area_land_sq_mi = 3.0
area_water_sq_mi = 0.3

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 4923
population_density_km2 = 631.0
population_density_sq_mi = 1634.4

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 207
elevation_ft = 679
latd = 43 |latm = 49 |lats = 36 |latNS = N
longd = 91 |longm = 18 |longs = 18 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 55947
area_code = 507
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 27-33866GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0646292GR|3
website =
footnotes =

La Crescent is a city in Houston and Winona counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 4,923 at the 2000 census. Although the entire population lives in Houston County, the city limits extend into Winona County a slight bit.

La Crescent is located directly across the Mississippi from La Crosse, Wisconsin. La Crescent is known as the "Apple Capital of Minnesota" because of its many apple orchards.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.7 km²), of which, 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (9.85%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 4,923 people, 1,940 households, and 1,367 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,634.4 people per square mile (631.5/km²). There were 2,014 housing units at an average density of 668.6/sq mi (258.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.60% White, 0.43% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 married couples 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.

In the city the population was spread out with 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% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, 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 for the city was $21,361. About 0.8% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The La Crescent-Hokah Public Schools is the city's school district. [http://www.isd300.k12.mn.us] It includes La Crescent-Hokah Public Elementary School, Cruxifiction Catholic Elementary School, Montessori Elementary School, and La Crescent High School, home of the Lancers, who are mighty and strong.

History

Sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River, La Crescent, Minnesota is surrounded by beautiful bluffs with spectacular views of the river. It's no wonder then that humans have inhabited this area, abundant with wildlife, for thousands of years. The most recent inhabitants before the White settlers were the Dakota Indians, who were a branch of the Sioux, and the Winnebago.

Following the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, Nathan Boone, youngest son of Daniel Boone was among the early surveyors of this area. The various Indian tribes who had lived here were moved out in the 1840s to accommodate White settlement.

La Crescent was founded in 1851 by Peter Cameron and was originally called, "Camerons". Peter and his wife, Emma, were two of the town's most colorful characters. Peter tried to dig a canal to change the flow of the Mississippi River so it would flow closer to La Crescent and bypass La Crosse, Wisconsin 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 second name of La Crescent was "Manton", named by William and Harvey Gillett, after they cleared the downtown area for settlement for Peter Cameron. In quick succession, the name of the town was changed again by the somewhat unscrupulous Kentucky Land Company, which was a land speculation 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" shape of the Mississippi River around the town. La Crescent incorporated in 1857.

John S. Harris arrived in La Crescent in 1856 and soon gave the town its identity of "Apple Capital of Minnesota", a title that the city copyrighted in 2002. Despite the belief "by 99 out of 100” people that apples could not grow in Minnesota", Harris planted his first apple trees here in 1857 and experimented with them until he grew trees hardy enough to withstand the severe Minnesota winters. He planted thousands of apple trees and hundreds of varieties, a full half of which he said were complete and total failures. Harris became known as "Father of the Orchardists" in Minnesota and was also a founding member of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Since 1947 La Crescent has celebrated this apple heritage annually with a weekend festival know as Applefest.

La Crescent has entertained a number of businesses throughout its history, but the one that has endured the longest is the apple industry. Around the 1940s La Crescent had about 40 small orchards in and around the city. Although the number of orchards has dwindled to less than a dozen, the area is about the same, as the orchards have been expanded in the bluffs farther away from the city. La Crescent grows gourmet apple varieties not found in most other places. Eighty percent of its apples are sold in Minnesota, although they are also exported to surrounding states and Canada.

Here there are many markets which sell honey and other organic products, as well as apples. There are many outdoor activities to do in the area, such as biking, hiking, fishing, biking, bird watching, skiing and snowmobiling.

References

External links

* [http://lacrescent.govoffice.com/ City of La Crescent]
* [http://www.lacrescent.com/ Houston County News]