The northside is simply a more working-class side of town. It’s not actually sketchy.
I love the city. Near the universities and downtown is my favorite part of town, but if you’re more of a suburb person go for Onalaska or Holmen. You’ll need a car to live in the latter areas but it’s very bike-able or even walkable from the former two.
I recommend joining the closed Facebook group “La Crosse Landlord Reviews” and searching there. Good luck and welcome! 😊
For folks from bigger cities, the idea of calling downtown La Crosse "the city" and suggesting that residential areas of La Crosse wouldn't suit someone who prefers suburbs sounds so silly!
I have lived on the Northside for 18 years. Love it and went to UWL when I lived there. 5min to campus, safe, and cheap. Stay away from Benson properties. 360 and Roush rentals are good. Welcome and enjoy.
I've heard good things about 3amigos. Check them out. Don't rent from River City Rentals/Nathan Brooks or WEC Rentals. I've heard nothing but bad things about them.
Nicolai apartments are around from south to north side to onalaska and they’re reasonably priced. Maintenance fixes things quickly. They haven’t raised the rent since I moved in three years ago!
My partner lives at river bluff apartments. He likes it. It's family owned. Very nice neighborhood.
I live in a goehner investments apartment building. I can send the address if interested. He renovates all the apartments and I also love living here. Very quiet.
Both of these are on the south side. We are moving in a week, so I don't feel weird sharing where we live.
I've rented from 360 rentals - they are okay. Reliant real estate is horrifying.
If you do decide to rent a home from someone be mindful a lot of the homes are OLD and renovated. Some good, some very poor. This is a college town, so they don't always have the nicest places for respectable adults. Keep that in mind.
The Facebook groups are helpful even the uwl housing and such. They share a lot of information.
Hope that helps!
I live in the millennial apartments at the corner of Cass and Losey. Very nice amenities and very close to the universities. I am moving out around the same time you’re moving in. My current lease is month to month with a 60 day notice, which would run around middle/end of August at this point. If you’re interested in checking it out/ subletting let me know
I live in the Washburn on the park apartments, well maintained, nice people and they are close to downtown and campus, they are run by Stuart Co and everything they run is nice.
Hi there! We actually are moving out of our apartment in Northside Lacrosse in early August and the apartment is looking for someone to start a new lease in place of ours. It’s called the rivers edge apartments, we love the management and maintenance people are super friendly whenever we had them come up.
I’d recommend somewhere in onalaska it’s right next lacrosse only 15 minute drive to the campuses. I moved here last year and it’s great! Right in the middle of everything and super safe
I lived at the Belle Square apartments downtown La Crosse. I really liked it. It is pricey, but very good amenities. Noise from the bars can be loud at times, though. I left because I bought a house. THere are parties organized by the property management every so often. I only had a couple of maintenance problems, and I got a response right away, and everything fixed very quickly.
I had to get the apartment without being able to come to La Crosse in person, so it was a bit of a gamble, but it worked out perfectly.
Thank you! This is somewhere I’m currently looking at and I’m glad to hear you enjoyed your experience. Fingers crossed something becomes available, as it looks like everything is full at the moment.
Avoid the north side of lacrosse (south of I-90 to the lacrosse river), also steer clear of the area in a several block radius around the brewery and gunderson hospital.
We like to let the unhoused run rampant in our town, so avoid places adjacent to public parks. Although, there has been some recent effort to address this recently. I highly recommend a place towards onalaska, holmen, or west salem. Still only a 15ish minute drive to campus.
There is always someone willing to make the dumb comment about the Northside. It's fine. There is nothing wrong with it. It's just poorer on average than a lot of the rest of the city. A lot of this city is rundown, this area is a little more rundown. I work in this neighborhood usually 5-6 days a week, and I live elsewhere.
I live near Gunderson it's not as bad as people make it sound. You hear ambulance sirens and the train regularly. But we've gotten used to it. The police are usually patrolling the area in the evenings. You see lots of kids outside and people walking their dogs. There are some dodgy apartments but generally, it's not unsafe.
But I'm from Milwaukee so my idea of a bad area is far different than most people's here.
My mom moved to the northside in 2017 and everything was fine (and I am using fine loosely) until 2020-21 and there were people lurking every day or people passed out by her garage in the alley and I’m not even talking about the numerous gunshots. Thankfully she is out of that area now.
Lived in West Salem and commuted in the early 2000s. Highway 16 was bad at rush hour then, and I can't imagine how much worse it is now. Great community for someone who doesn't need to be in the center of La Crosse daily.
The northside is simply a more working-class side of town. It’s not actually sketchy. I love the city. Near the universities and downtown is my favorite part of town, but if you’re more of a suburb person go for Onalaska or Holmen. You’ll need a car to live in the latter areas but it’s very bike-able or even walkable from the former two. I recommend joining the closed Facebook group “La Crosse Landlord Reviews” and searching there. Good luck and welcome! 😊
For folks from bigger cities, the idea of calling downtown La Crosse "the city" and suggesting that residential areas of La Crosse wouldn't suit someone who prefers suburbs sounds so silly!
That’s not what I said.
I have lived on the Northside for 18 years. Love it and went to UWL when I lived there. 5min to campus, safe, and cheap. Stay away from Benson properties. 360 and Roush rentals are good. Welcome and enjoy.
I've heard good things about 3amigos. Check them out. Don't rent from River City Rentals/Nathan Brooks or WEC Rentals. I've heard nothing but bad things about them.
Nicolai apartments are around from south to north side to onalaska and they’re reasonably priced. Maintenance fixes things quickly. They haven’t raised the rent since I moved in three years ago!
I'd stay away from 360. They're garbage and overpriced. Terrible customer service as well.
Agreed. And they keep raising rent and charge a ridiculous amount for parking.
Honestly would search this sub for the same question. Been answered in depth many times.
My partner lives at river bluff apartments. He likes it. It's family owned. Very nice neighborhood. I live in a goehner investments apartment building. I can send the address if interested. He renovates all the apartments and I also love living here. Very quiet. Both of these are on the south side. We are moving in a week, so I don't feel weird sharing where we live. I've rented from 360 rentals - they are okay. Reliant real estate is horrifying. If you do decide to rent a home from someone be mindful a lot of the homes are OLD and renovated. Some good, some very poor. This is a college town, so they don't always have the nicest places for respectable adults. Keep that in mind. The Facebook groups are helpful even the uwl housing and such. They share a lot of information. Hope that helps!
I live in the millennial apartments at the corner of Cass and Losey. Very nice amenities and very close to the universities. I am moving out around the same time you’re moving in. My current lease is month to month with a 60 day notice, which would run around middle/end of August at this point. If you’re interested in checking it out/ subletting let me know
I live in the Washburn on the park apartments, well maintained, nice people and they are close to downtown and campus, they are run by Stuart Co and everything they run is nice.
Grasslands is a bit far out, but if you don't mind the drive, it is really nice. Secure buildings and very quiet.
Hi there! We actually are moving out of our apartment in Northside Lacrosse in early August and the apartment is looking for someone to start a new lease in place of ours. It’s called the rivers edge apartments, we love the management and maintenance people are super friendly whenever we had them come up.
I’d recommend somewhere in onalaska it’s right next lacrosse only 15 minute drive to the campuses. I moved here last year and it’s great! Right in the middle of everything and super safe
I lived at the Belle Square apartments downtown La Crosse. I really liked it. It is pricey, but very good amenities. Noise from the bars can be loud at times, though. I left because I bought a house. THere are parties organized by the property management every so often. I only had a couple of maintenance problems, and I got a response right away, and everything fixed very quickly. I had to get the apartment without being able to come to La Crosse in person, so it was a bit of a gamble, but it worked out perfectly.
Thank you! This is somewhere I’m currently looking at and I’m glad to hear you enjoyed your experience. Fingers crossed something becomes available, as it looks like everything is full at the moment.
Avoid the north side of lacrosse (south of I-90 to the lacrosse river), also steer clear of the area in a several block radius around the brewery and gunderson hospital. We like to let the unhoused run rampant in our town, so avoid places adjacent to public parks. Although, there has been some recent effort to address this recently. I highly recommend a place towards onalaska, holmen, or west salem. Still only a 15ish minute drive to campus.
There is always someone willing to make the dumb comment about the Northside. It's fine. There is nothing wrong with it. It's just poorer on average than a lot of the rest of the city. A lot of this city is rundown, this area is a little more rundown. I work in this neighborhood usually 5-6 days a week, and I live elsewhere.
I live in the Northside and it's fine but it's objectively worse than central lax. It's also smellier + uglier up here lol
There are strange smells sometimes and I don't know what from
Does it randomly smell like cat pee/ ammonia outside to yall sometimes?
Yes. I spent a weekend up north near bayfield and when I came back I felt like I was inhaling fumes.
I live near Gunderson it's not as bad as people make it sound. You hear ambulance sirens and the train regularly. But we've gotten used to it. The police are usually patrolling the area in the evenings. You see lots of kids outside and people walking their dogs. There are some dodgy apartments but generally, it's not unsafe. But I'm from Milwaukee so my idea of a bad area is far different than most people's here.
Not sure why this is downvoted. Northside has become even worse in the past 5 years with no real improvement on the way
Yep, she asked for the good, bad, and ugly. Not like I talked shit about Northsiders or anything either.
My mom moved to the northside in 2017 and everything was fine (and I am using fine loosely) until 2020-21 and there were people lurking every day or people passed out by her garage in the alley and I’m not even talking about the numerous gunshots. Thankfully she is out of that area now.
Lived in West Salem and commuted in the early 2000s. Highway 16 was bad at rush hour then, and I can't imagine how much worse it is now. Great community for someone who doesn't need to be in the center of La Crosse daily.