Onalaska (/ˌɒnəˈlæskə/ ⓘ ON-ə-LASS-kə)[4] is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States.

[5] Onalaska is built on a slightly elevated ridge above the Black River.

Natural areas include both river bottom land and high, heavily wooded, scenic bluffs.

A man-made reservoir at the city's western edge is known as Lake Onalaska.

The original village (now city) was platted by Thomas G. Rowe (New York) and John C. Laird (Pennsylvania) in 1851.

In its early days, lumbering and related industries served as a basis for its economy.

Other places named Onalaska are in Arkansas (now defunct), Texas, and Washington.

[8] Onalaska lies immediately north of La Crosse, on the Black River.

In the 1930s, the construction of Lake Onalaska resulted in the flooding and eventual disappearance of a shallow, natural body of water, Rice Lake, and several smaller ponds in the Black River bottoms area.

It lies to the northwest of the city's current northern border and is directly on Lake Onalaska.

28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Buildings, sites, structures, districts, and objects in Onalaska listed on the National Register of Historic Places