Where is Westby? What to know about site of Joe Biden's latest visit to Wisconsin

Though Milwaukee has become a political epicenter this summer, a much smaller Wisconsin city will take the national spotlight this week for President Joe Biden's first visit to the state since dropping out of the presidential race.

The president will visit Westby on Thursday, a city in southwestern Wisconsin with a population of just over 2,300 people. The event comes exactly two months since his last visit to Wisconsin, an early July campaign rally in the Madison area.

Ahead of Biden's visit, here's everything you need to know about Westby.

Where is Westby?

Located in Vernon County, Westby is close to the western border of Wisconsin.

The city is also about 30 miles from La Crosse, where former president Donald Trump hosted a campaign town hall last week.

What is Westby known for?

Westby is home to one of the oldest Norwegian American communities in the U.S.

The area was settled by Norwegian immigrants in the 1840s and formally incorporated as a village in 1896. In 1920, just over two decades later, it became a city. Today, Westby describes itself as a "multi-generational Norwegian community."

The city is named for Ole T. Westby, a Norwegian native who fought in the 15th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. And, though its spelling may suggest otherwise, the city's name is pronounced "West-be," not "West-by."

Why is Biden visiting Westby?

Biden's visit to Westby this week is part of a series of trips the president will be making over the next few weeks to highlight his administration's investments in local communities, a White House official told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In Wisconsin, Biden plans to talk about the Inflation Reduction Act, his 2022 law that targeted everything from drug prescription prices to green energy incentives.

His Thursday visit is a White House event, meaning it is not officially part of the Harris-Walz campaign.

Where in Westby will Biden visit?

White House officials have not yet announced where specifically in Westby the president will visit, nor what time his event will be.

How did Vernon County vote in 2020?

Westby is in a county that swung for Trump in last two presidential elections. In 2020, the former president carried Vernon County with about 52% of the vote, winning 761 more votes than Biden.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Where is Westby, Wisconsin, and why is Biden visiting it this week?