La Crescent, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
As of the census
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 per square mile (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.
, 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
tribe
s who had lived here were slaughtered 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 apple
s 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 known 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 product
s, as well as apples. There are many outdoor activities to do in the area, such as biking, hiking
, fishing
, biking, bird watching, skiing
, snowmobiling, and fourwheeling.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,923 people, 1,940 households, and 1,367 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,634.4 people per square mile (631.5/km²). There were 2,014 housing units at an average density of 668.6 per square mile (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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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, and Ron Wilke is the superintendent. http://www.isd300.k12.mn.us It includes La Crescent-Hokah Public Elementary School, Crucifixion Catholic Elementary School, Montessori Elementary School, and La Crescent High School.History
Sitting on the banks of the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, La Crescent, Minnesota is surrounded by beautiful bluffs
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
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
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
, and the Winnebago
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
.
Following the 1803 Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
, Nathan Boone, youngest son of Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
was among the early surveyors
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
of this area. The various Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
s who had lived here were slaughtered in the 1840s to accommodate White settlement.
La Crescent was founded in 1851 by Peter Cameron
Peter Cameron
Peter Cameron may refer to:* Dr Peter Cameron , Church of Scotland minister convicted of heresy by the Presbyterian Church of Australia* Peter Cameron , American novelist...
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
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
to change the flow of the Mississippi River so it would flow closer to La Crescent and bypass La Crosse
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
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
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
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
Crescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a 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 apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s 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 known 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 product
Organic product
An organic product is made from organic raw materials. It also requires Organic certification.-Food:*Fruit and vegetables*Meat, dairy, eggs*Nuts and seeds*Flour and Grains*Herbs- Processed foods :*Organic juice*Canned goods*Frozen vegetables...
s, as well as apples. There are many outdoor activities to do in the area, such as biking, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, biking, bird watching, skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, snowmobiling, and fourwheeling.