West Salem, WI Home for Rent

Set along the winding La Crosse River, the Village of West Salem has nurtured a tight-knit, small-town rhythm since its founding in 1851. Literary history runs deep here: Pulitzer Prize–winning author Hamlin Garland spent his childhood in the community, and his restored Garland Homestead still welcomes visitors eager to glimpse 19th-century rural life. Today, families cite strong academics and an easy commute into nearby La Crosse as the village’s biggest magnets. “I would say schools are probably a top draw,” says Lisa Kind, a Realtor with Re/Max Results, who has sold homes in the area for more than two decades, “and proximity to La Crosse, as far as commuting to work.” The median sales price in West Salem hovers around $350,000. Prices swing widely with a home’s age, size and perch above Lake Neshonoc. On the lakefront and in newer enclaves such as Saddlewood and Neshonoc Point, late-1990s to 2010s brick traditionals and contemporary two-stories stretch 2,500 – 4,500 square feet and usually command $550,000 up to the high $900,000s. Closer to downtown, the bulk of listings are 1970s- to 1990s-era split-levels and ranch-style homes of 1,500 – 2,000 square feet, generally trading