Appleton, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Appleton, Wisconsin
City
Appleton viewed from the Fox River Lawrence University College Avenue History Museum at the Castle Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
Appleton, Wisconsin Location in Wisconsin Show map of Wisconsin Appleton, Wisconsin Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Counties	Outagamie, Calumet, Winnebago
Surrounding Towns	Grand Chute, Little Chute, Menasha, Kimberly
Settled	1835
Incorporated	May 2, 1857
Named for	Samuel Appleton
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
Area
• City	25.29 sq mi (65.49 km2)
• Land	24.79 sq mi (64.20 km2)
• Water	0.50 sq mi (1.29 km2)  1.97%
Elevation	790 ft (240 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	75,644
• Rank	6th in Wisconsin
• Density	2,989.15/sq mi (1,154.12/km2)
• Urban	230,967 (US: 171st)
• Urban density	2,143.0/sq mi (827.4/km2)
• Metro	243,147 (US: 194th)
Demonym(s)	Appletonians
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT)
ZIP Code	54911, 54912, 54913, 54914, 54915, 54919
Area code(s)	920
FIPS code	55-02375
GNIS feature ID	1560914
Major airport	Appleton International Airport (ATW)
Major Routes
Public Transit

Appleton (which means Ahkōnemeh in the Menominee language) is a city in Wisconsin, United States. It is the main city of Outagamie County. A small part of Appleton also reaches into Calumet and Winnebago counties.

The city is located on the Fox River. It is about 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Green Bay. It is also about 100 miles (160 km) north of Milwaukee. In 2020, Appleton had a population of 75,644 people. This makes it the sixth-largest city in Wisconsin. Appleton is the main city in the Appleton metropolitan area, which had 243,147 residents in 2020. It is part of the larger Fox Cities region.

Appleton is a busy center in the Fox River Valley. It is home to Lawrence University and the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. You can also find the Fox River Mall and Appleton International Airport here. The city has two major hospitals: St. Elizabeth Hospital and ThedaCare Regional Medical Center–Appleton. Appleton also hosts fun events like Octoberfest and the Mile of Music.

Appleton's Past: A Look Back in Time

Early Native American History

Appleton, Wisconsin – 1867

The land where Appleton now stands was once home to the Ho-Chunk and Menominee Native American tribes. The Menominee Nation gave this land to the United States in 1836. This happened through a special agreement called the Treaty of the Cedars. Chief Oshkosh signed the treaty for the Menominee people.

This treaty was made after many years of talks. The talks were about finding a new home for the Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Brothertown peoples. These groups had been moved from New York to Wisconsin. The Ho-Chunk tribe did not agree to the final treaty. In the Menominee language, Appleton is called Ahkōnemeh, which means "watches for them place."

The first European people to settle in Appleton were fur traders. They wanted to trade with the Native Americans in the Fox River Valley. Hippolyte Grignon built a place called the White Heron in 1835. It was a home for his family and also an inn and trading post.

How Appleton Grew

Paper mills in Appleton, 1898

Appleton was settled in 1847. It started as three small villages along the Fox River. These villages were Grand Chute, Appleton, and Lawesburg. In 1853, these three villages joined together to form the Village of Appleton. John F. Johnston was the first person to live there and the first village president.

Lawrence University was also started in 1847. It received money from Amos A. Lawrence. The college library received a $10,000 gift from Samuel Appleton. He was Lawrence's father-in-law and never visited Wisconsin. The town was named Appleton to thank him.

The paper industry was very important for Appleton's growth. The first paper mill was built in 1853. To power the paper mills, the first hydroelectric power plant in the country opened. It was called the Vulcan Street Plant and started on September 30, 1882. This plant also powered the Hearthstone House. This was the first home in the world to be powered by a central hydroelectric station.

Soon after, in 1886, Appleton had another first. It was the site of the first successful electric streetcar company. Electric lights replaced gas lamps on College Avenue in 1912. Appleton also had the first telephone in Wisconsin. It was also the first city outside the East Coast to have an incandescent light.

Appleton became a city on March 2, 1857. Amos Story was its first mayor. The city grew a lot in the early 1900s. In 1890, 11,869 people lived in Appleton. By 1940, the population had grown to 28,436.

The city grew even more in the 1940s and 1950s. New areas like Glendale, Bell Heights, and Whispering Pines became part of Appleton. This added many new people and much more land to the city.

Appleton's tallest building, the 222 Building, was built in 1952. The Valley Fair Shopping Center, built in 1954, was one of the first enclosed shopping malls in the United States. Most of it was taken down in 2007.

For a period in the past, from about 1930 to 1970, there were unwritten rules that made it difficult for some groups of people to stay overnight in Appleton. Police would sometimes encourage certain people to leave town after dark. In 1941, the famous singer Marian Anderson was allowed to stay overnight in a hotel when she visited, but she could not eat dinner in public.

After the Flint water crisis, a report showed higher levels of lead in Appleton's water. This was especially true for young children.

Appleton's Location and Weather

Geography of Appleton

Appleton Locks 1-3 along the Fox River

Appleton is located at 44.278819 degrees north and -88.392625 degrees west. The city covers a total area of about 24.82 square miles (64.29 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 24.33 square miles (63.01 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.49 square miles (1.27 square kilometers), is water.

Appleton's Climate

Appleton has a humid continental climate. This means it has warm to hot summers and cold winters. It gets a moderate amount of rain and snow compared to other places near the Great Lakes.

On July 13, 1995, a very high dew point of 90°F (32°C) was recorded in Appleton. This was one of the highest ever seen in the United States.

Because Appleton is inland, it can have very hot or very cold temperatures. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 107°F (42°C) in 1936. The coldest was -32°F (-36°C) in 1929.

People of Appleton

Location of the Appleton–Oshkosh–Neenah CSA and its components:      Appleton Metropolitan Statistical Area      Oshkosh–Neenah Metropolitan Statistical Area

Appleton is the main city of the Appleton–Oshkosh–Neenah CSA. This is a larger area that includes Appleton and Oshkosh–Neenah. In 2010, this combined area had 392,660 residents. By 2019, it was estimated to have 409,881 people.

In 2020, Appleton's population was 75,644. Most people lived in Outagamie County. The city had about 31,747 homes. The population was mostly White (80.1%). There were also Asian (6.4%), Black (3.13%), and Native American (0.9%) residents. About 7.3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In 2020, the city's population included 318 people in adult prisons. It also included 1,275 students living in school housing.

The average household income in Appleton was about $61,475. For families, it was about $76,791. About 10.3% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 15.8% of those under 18. Most adults (92.6%) had finished high school. About 33.6% had a college degree or higher.

Hmong Community

Further information: Hmong in Wisconsin

Appleton has a notable Hmong community. In 2022, there were 2,965 Hmong people living in the city. They make up over 70% of Appleton's Asian population.

Appleton's Economy and Fun Things to Do

Major Employers

The Irving Zuelke Building in downtown Appleton, completed in 1931

Here are some of the biggest employers in Appleton as of 2020:

Some companies have their main offices in Appleton. These include ASP, Inc., Fleet Farm, John Birch Society, and Miller Electric.

Things to See and Do

Fox Cities Exhibition Center

Fox Cities Performing Arts Center

Appleton has many interesting places to visit. The Hearthstone House is a four-story mansion. It was the first house in the U.S. to be powered by hydroelectricity in 1881.

The History Museum at the Castle shows the history of the Fox River Valley. It has exhibits on famous people like Edna Ferber and Harry Houdini. The Atlas Science Center displays old paper-making machines. It also teaches about the history of paper.

In 2013, Houdini Plaza was updated. This plaza is in downtown Appleton and hosts about 55 events each year. These include summer concerts and part of the downtown farmers market.

Other fun places to visit include:

• Fox Cities Exhibition Center
• Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
• Gardens of the Fox Cities
• Goodland Field
• J. B. Courtney Woolen Mills
• John Hart Whorton House
• Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium, home of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers baseball team.
• The Trout Museum of Art

Healthcare in Appleton

Appleton has two hospitals that serve the city:

• ThedaCare Regional Medical Center–Appleton
• St. Elizabeth Hospital

Parks and Outdoor Fun

Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium

Appleton has a great park system with 24 neighborhood parks and four community parks. The neighborhood parks are from 2 to 16 acres in size. The community parks are larger, from 25 to 139 acres.

Memorial Park is the biggest community park at 139 acres. It has baseball/softball fields, playgrounds, and an indoor ice skating rink. There's also a sledding hill, a fishing pond, and picnic areas. The park hosts a fireworks show for the 4th of July.

City Park is the oldest park in Appleton, started in 1882. The Trout Museum of Art uses it for its "Art in the Park" event. This show features over 200 artists and attracts many art lovers. Pierce Park hosts weekly concerts in the summer. It also has the annual Appleton Old Car Show. Pierce Park and Telulah Park both have disc-golf courses. Erb Park and Mead Park have public swimming facilities. Jones Park is the finish line for the Santa Scamper run during the Christmas Parade. It also has an outdoor hockey rink in winter.

Learning in Appleton

Main Hall, Lawrence University

Appleton is served by the Appleton Area School District. It has three high schools, four middle schools, and seventeen elementary schools. There are also sixteen charter schools. The main public high schools are Appleton East, Appleton North, and Appleton West.

Appleton also has two private high schools: Roman Catholic Xavier High School and Fox Valley Lutheran High School. Some charter high schools include Fox Cities Leadership Academy and Tesla Engineering.

Lawrence University is a private college in Appleton. Fox Valley Technical College is also located here. Other colleges like Concordia University Wisconsin have campuses in the city. The University of Wisconsin–Fox Valley is nearby in Menasha. It is a two-year campus that will close in June 2025.

Appleton is becoming a leader in technology education for kids. The student-led Appleton Youth Education Initiative works with big companies. They organize events like the Appleton Tech Clinic and HackAppleton. This is a popular annual event where students create new tech projects.

The city has the Appleton Public Library. It started in 1897 and has over 600,000 items. The library offers free Wi-Fi and printing services.

Getting Around Appleton

Public Transportation

The city owns Valley Transit, which is a bus system for the Fox Valley. Buses usually run from early morning until late evening, Monday through Saturday. There is no bus service on Sundays. You can also find taxi services in the city.

For longer trips, Amtrak Thruway and Lamers Bus Lines offer buses. These buses connect Appleton to cities like Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago.

In 2021, electric scooters became available for rent in Appleton. However, the city ended the program in 2024 due to issues with where the scooters were parked.

Roads in Appleton

	Interstate 41 goes north to Green Bay. Southbound, it goes to Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, and Milwaukee. This is a major highway with three exits in Appleton.
	US 10 goes west to Waupaca and Stevens Point. Eastbound, it goes to Brillion and Manitowoc.
	US 41 runs along the same path as Interstate 41 through Appleton.
	WIS 47 goes north to Black Creek and Shawano, Wisconsin. Southbound, it goes to Menasha. This road is also known as Richmond St. and Memorial Dr.
	WIS 96 travels west to Fremont and east to Little Chute and Kaukauna. This road is Wisconsin Ave.
	WIS 125 runs between US 41 and WIS 47 on College Ave. West of US 41, College Ave. leads to Appleton International Airport.
	WIS 441 is a highway that goes around Appleton on the south and east sides. It has several exits connecting to other roads.

Rail Service

Appleton has train tracks running through it. These tracks were once part of different railway lines. Now, all train services are run by Canadian National Railway. Appleton does not have passenger train service. However, there are studies looking into bringing Amtrak service to the area.

Appleton International Airport

The Appleton International Airport (ATW) is located west of downtown Appleton. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Interstate 41. The airport serves over 1 million passengers each year with four major airlines.

Famous People from Appleton

Sister Cities

Appleton has special partnerships with cities in other countries. These are called "sister cities":

• Chinandega, Chinandega Department, Nicaragua
• Kan'onji, Kagawa, Japan

Images for kids

• 

  Valley Transit bus

See also

In Spanish: Appleton (Wisconsin) para niños