Roads
Located between Minneapolis, MN and Madison, WI, sprawling the center of our ten-county region is Interstate 90, which connects with Chicago-bound Interstate 94 in Madison to the east and runs all the way to Wyoming in the west. The region is also parted by the scenic Great River Road, a historic byway that follows the Mississippi River through 10 states for nearly 3,000 miles. Major U.S. highways include 14, 53 and 61. The average La Crosse area commute time for workers is 14.23 minutes.
Air
The La Crosse Municipal Airport provides daily flights via Delta Airlines and American Airlines with direct service to three connecting cities: Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit. Drive times and distances to nearby major airports:
- Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD): 269 miles, 4:49 hours
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP): 152 miles, 2:40 hours
Additionally, Winona’s Max Conrad Field allows charter, corporate and private aircraft flights.
Rail
Passenger: Amtrak’s Empire Builder, which runs from Chicago through Minneapolis/St. Paul to Seattle, WA and Portland, OR, crosses the region, stopping at stations in both La Crosse and Winona. Construction is also underway for a high-speed passenger rail line from Milwaukee to Madison, a federally funded project for the State of Wisconsin that is part of the Midwest Regional Rail Corridor, originating in Chicago and serving nine states.
Freight: Area lines include Canadian Pacific Railway, Fox Valley and Western, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, I and M Rail Link, and Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Corporation.
Bus
Jefferson Lines: Provides regional and national service to more than 4,000 destinations with stops in La Crosse, Sparta, Westby, Tomah and Winona.
Greyhound: Provides regional and national service to more than 2,300 destinations with stops in La Crosse, Sparta, Tomah and Winona.
Badger Bus: The College Connection services runs between UW-Milwaukee, UW-La Crosse and the University of Minnesota.
Utilities
The Upper Mississippi River Valley is supported by high-tech infrastructure and served by a strong network of utility providers. High speed internet access and fiber optic connections are available throughout the metro areas.
The region is connected to phone, internet and cable via CenturyLink and Charter Communications, while the Winona, MN area’s cable, phone and internet needs are serviced by Hiawatha Broadband Communications. Ace Communications Group is an independent, diversified communications company serving southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa. Residents and business can choose from several wireless telecommunications providers, including Verizon Wireless, U.S. Cellular, Sprint, Hiawatha Broadband Communications and Nextel.
Dairyland Power Cooperative, a generation and transmission cooperative, provides electrical service to 25 distribution cooperatives and 16 municipal utilities throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.
Xcel Energy, which provides a combination of electricity and natural gas to area residents and businesses, has been in operation for more than 130 years and serves 3.4 million electricity customers and 1.9 million natural gas customers in eight Western and Midwestern states. The far eastern and southern reaches of this region receive energy services via Alliant Energy. Minnesota Energy Resources operates in the northwestern counties of our region, serving a total of 51 counties throughout Minnesota. Tri-County Electric is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative providing power to the residents in and around Rushford, Minnesota.
Madison Gas and Electric provides natural gas service in Monroe and Juneau counties in Wisconsin. Hawkeye REC is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative providing power to a range of home, farm, business and commercial consumers in Winneshiek county.
Jackson Electric Cooperative provides electrical service to members located in Jackson, Monroe, La Crosse, and Trempealeau counties of Wisconsin.