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 population according to the 2011 census estimate was 51,719. The city forms the core of, and is the principal city in the La Crosse Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of La Crosse County and Houston County, Minnesota, with a combined population of 135,298. La Crosse is a college town and is the home to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Viterbo University, and Western Technical College.