French Island, Wisconsin


French Island is a census-designated place in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,207 at the 2010 census. It lies on an island of the same name, with which it is not coextensive; most of the island is part of the city of La Crosse, but all are part of the La Crosse Metropolitan Statistical Area. French Island is part of the Town of Campbell and contains all of its population, because the balance of Campbell is uninhabited.

Geography

French Island is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of, of which, of it is land and of it is water. The entire island's land area is.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,410 people, 1,754 households, and 1,266 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,207.6 people per square mile. There were 1,823 housing units at an average density of 912.6/sq mi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.49% White, 0.52% African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.
There were 1,754 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $44,736, and the median income for a family was $55,439. Males had a median income of $37,165 versus $25,267 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,741. About 4.6% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The French Island Generating Plant is located in French Island.

Transportation

The island is accessible from the mainland by automobile, by way of the I-90 Mississippi River Bridge and from North La Crosse via the Clinton Street Bridge at the extreme southern end of the island. There is another bridge about four miles downstream, the La Crosse West Channel Bridge, which connects Barron Island to La Crescent, Minnesota.
The La Crosse Regional Airport occupies the northern part of French Island.

Notable people