BlockBefore

Onalaska, Wisconsin

17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1927 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Onalaska City. It lies in ZIP code area 54650. It lies near Bell Island. The Survey maps it on the Onalaska quadrangle. 18,803 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 656 feet above sea level.

Onalaska within La Crosse County

On record in Onalaska

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 2 records

Population over time

2 figures

Onalaska grew from 17,736 to 18,803 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201017,736
202018,803+1,067 (+6%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 surveys from 17 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

29 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 29 fires within 5 miles of Onalaska between 1992 and 2020, burning about 12 acres in total. None started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined10
Debris and open burning6
Arson/incendiarism4
Equipment and vehicle use2
Railroad operations and maintenance2
Recreation and ceremony2
Smoking2
Misuse of fire by a minor1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2003Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreLaCrosse District, Upper Mississippi National Wildlife RefugePAMMEL CREEK FIRE
2 September 2019Debris and open burningunder an acreWisconsin Department of Natural Resources1900058
14 August 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreWisconsin Department of Natural Resources2003958
5 July 2020Arson/incendiarismunder an acreWisconsin Department of Natural Resources2003248
31 July 1992Debris and open burningunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
29 July 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreWisconsin Department of Natural Resources1807990
4 June 2019Arson/incendiarismunder an acreWisconsin Department of Natural Resources19-0479
29 June 1997Arson/incendiarismunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in La Crosse County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Onalaska: 3 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Lacrosse County Highway Dept. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Bucklin QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Kedhara QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in La Crosse County

Storms near this place

51 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Onalaska in 51 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 23 thunderstorm wind, 21 hail, 2 flood, 2 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2011FloodOnalaska$65,000A house that was built on a sunken lot had a basement wall collapse after four inches of rain fell on the area. In addition to the basement damage, the master bedroom and bathroom, laundry room and living room were ruined.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$45,000Amateur radio groups reported numerous trees and power lines down in Onalaska.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$45,000The public reported downed trees and power outages in Onalaska.
August 1998Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$45,000no account filed
July 2016Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$35,000Numerous trees were blown down in Onalaska along Oak Forest Drive with some of these trees landing on houses. The Onalaska fire department responded to 21 calls because of the storm. There were scattered power outages throughout the city that affected around 700 customers.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$25,000Several trees and power lines were blown down in Onalaska. Some of the trees landed on parked cars and one city street was shut down due to all the damage.
August 1997Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$18,000no account filed
August 2009LightningOnalaska$15,000Lightning found an underground natural gas service line and ignited space between the basement ceiling and first floor. No one was injured.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$10,000Trees and a power pole were blown down in Onalaska.
July 1999HailOnalaska$10,000no account filed
July 2011Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$6,700An estimated 70 mph wind gust snapped off and uprooted numerous trees along the shoreline of Lake Onalaska. Numerous other trees were either uprooted or snapped off along Well Street between Oak and 11th Avenues in Onalaska. Also, a 100 year old maple tree went down on top of a house damaging the roof.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$6,000no account filed
July 2013Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$5,000A tree trunk was split by thunderstorm winds with part of the tree falling on a vehicle parked under it.
August 2007Flash FloodOnalaska$5,000Erosion along a bridge on Highway 53 just north of Onalaska was reported from flash flooding.
July 2020HailOnalaska$4,000Quarter sized hail fell near Onalaska.
June 2001HailOnalaska$2,500no account filed
July 2018Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$2,000Power lines were blown down in Onalaska.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$2,000Numerous tree branches were blown down and moved a distance of at least 100 feet. A electrical transformer was also blown out on the northeast side of Onalaska.
May 2007Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$2,000A roof was blown off a warehouse. Wind gusts at the La Crosse airport were 54 mph.
July 2020HailOnalaska$1,200Quarter sized hail was reported just north of Onalaska.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$1,000Several large tree branches were blown down in Onalaska.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$1,000Wind gusts from a thunderstorm knocked down several trees on the north side of Onalaska. Dime sized hail also fell along with 3.5 inches of rain which created some minor street flooding.
August 2009LightningOnalaska$1,000Lightning caused a small fire in a deck planter and damaged a microwave oven.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$1,000Large trees were blown down.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$1,000no account filed
June 2001HailOnalaska$500no account filed
August 2010Thunderstorm WindOnalaska$250Large tree limbs were blown down.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindOnalaska-The public reported a tree fell over onto Wells Street.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindOnalaska-Trained spotter reported 65 mph gust near Onalaska.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindOnalaska-A volunteer observer reported 60 mph wind gusts near Onalaska.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindOnalaska-A private weather station measured a 59 mph wind gust in Onalaska.
July 2017HailOnalaska-Ping pong sized hail fell in Onalaska.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindOnalaska-An estimated 60 mph wind gust occurred in Onalaska.
July 2013HailOnalaska-Half dollar sized hail fell in Onalaska.
April 2010HailOnalaska-A trained spotter estimated one inch size hail in Onalaska.
July 2008HailOnalaska-Hail was reported at the Onalaska High School.
June 1995Tornado (F0)Onalaska-During the early evening, a cold air funnel touched down in a residential area in Onalaska (La Crosse County). The resultant weak tornado then traveled east approximately one-quarter of a mile before lifting into the clouds. An eyewitness reported seeing a swimming pool cover, tar paper, and twigs swirling around at about 200 feet in the air. The tornado was said to have made a high pitch whistling noise and looked like a white pillar reaching about 300 feet into the air. This was the first tornado touchdown in Wisconsin for the 1995 convective season.
May 2011HailOnalaska-no account filed
March 2005HailOnalaska-no account filed
June 2005HailOnalaska-no account filed
July 2004HailOnalaska-no account filed
July 2004HailOnalaska-no account filed
June 2003Funnel CloudOnalaska-no account filed
April 2002HailOnalaska-no account filed
April 2001HailOnalaska-no account filed
April 2001HailOnalaska-no account filed
June 2001HailOnalaska-no account filed
June 2001HailOnalaska-no account filed
May 2000HailOnalaska-no account filed
August 1998FloodOnalaska-no account filed
May 1995HailOnalaska-no account filed

Every storm recorded in La Crosse County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Lakeview (historical)1.7 miles13
Holiday Heights2.2 miles18
French Island2.2 miles14
Medary2.4 miles18
North La Crosse2.7 miles18
Grand Crossing2.7 miles18
Cold Springs2.8 miles18
French Island Village3.0 miles13

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on OnalaskaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1569538The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1570818. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.