|
Discover Places to Go and Things to Do
|
|
Appleton, WI
|
|
|
|
|
|
Appleton is a city in Calumet, Outagamie, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, on the Fox River, 100 miles (161 km) north of Milwaukee. The population was 70,087 at the 2000 census. Appleton is the principal city of the Appleton, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, Wisconsin Combined Statistical Area with a combined population of around 350,000. It is the county seat of Outagamie County.
HistoryAppleton was settled in 1847 and incorporated as a village in 1853 and as a city in 1857. Early in the 20th century, it adopted the commission form of government, however that type of government has been abandoned in many cities. In 1890, 11,869 people lived in Appleton; in 1900, there were 15,085; in 1910, 16,773; in 1920, 19,571; and in 1940, 28,436.
Home to Lawrence University, the City of Appleton grew along with the school. With the financial backing of Amos A. Lawrence, the Lawrence Institute was chartered in 1847. Samuel Appleton donated $10,000 to the newly founded college library, and in appreciation, his name was given to the community. Appleton is also the present headquarters of the John Birch Society.
HistoryAppleton was settled in 1847 and incorporated as a village in 1853 and as a city in 1857. Early in the 20th century, it adopted the commission form of government, however that type of government has been abandoned in many cities. In 1890, 11,869 people lived in Appleton; in 1900, there were 15,085; in 1910, 16,773; in 1920, 19,571; and in 1940, 28,436.
Home to Lawrence University, the City of Appleton grew along with the school. With the financial backing of Amos A. Lawrence, the Lawrence Institute was chartered in 1847. Samuel Appleton donated $10,000 to the newly founded college library, and in appreciation, his name was given to the community. Appleton is also the present headquarters of the John Birch Society.
Appleton also had the first telephone in all Wisconsin, and the first incandescent light in any city beyond the East Coast. The first hydroelectric power was generated in Appleton, at the Vulcan Street Plant on the Fox River, which lit the first house, the Hearthstone House.
Appleton's Valley Fair Shopping Center, built in 1954, laid claim to being the first enclosed shopping mall in the United States, though this claim is disputed today by others such as Rhode Island's Westminster Arcade, Seattle's Northgate Mall, and Minnesota's Southdale Center. However, the shopping center has now been torn down except for the movie theater part.
Appleton was also the childhood home of Harry Houdini, who claimed in interviews to have been born in Appleton on April 6, 1874 even though he was actually born in Hungary on March 24 of the same year.
EducationAppleton is served by the Appleton Area School District. The district has three high schools, Appleton East, Appleton North and Appleton West. Xavier High School is the city's Roman Catholic high school and Fox Valley Lutheran High School is its Lutheran high school. It is also home to several charter schools, a complete list of which can be found here.
Appleton is home to Lawrence University, a private liberal arts college on the shores of the Fox River. The university was formed before the city was founded, and Appleton is named for a wealthy donor to the institution. The University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, a two-year collegiate campus of the University of Wisconsin System is located in nearby Menasha, Wisconsin, and the Fox Valley Technical College are also located in Appleton.
The city and surrounding area are served by the Appleton Public Library. The library was chartered by the city in 1897 and in 2007 has a collection of nearly 400,000 volumes.
ReligionAppleton has a fairly diverse religious community, although Catholicism and Lutheranism are probably the most common religious affiliations. Almost every Christian denomination is represented, as well as a synagogue, a Unitarian Universalist fellowship and an Islamic society.
CatholicSt. Bernadette ParishSt. Bernard ParishSt. Joseph ParishSt. Mary ParishSt. Pius X ParishSacred Heart ParishSt. Thomas More Parish
United MethodistFirst United Methodist AppletonSt. James United Methodist Church of AppletonEmmanuel United Methodist ChurchZion Appleton
LutheranMount Olive Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSt. Paul Ev. Lutheran ChurchBethany Lutheran ChurchEternal Love ChurchRiverview Evangelical Lutheran ChurchFaith Lutheran ChurchGood Shepherd Lutheran ChurchCelebration Lutheran ChurchFirst English Lutheran ChurchPrince of Peace Lutheran ChurchTrinity Lutheran ChurchZion Lutheran Church
HealthcareAppleton Medical CenterSt. Elizabeth Hospital (Appleton, Wisconsin)Notable residentsJudah Bauer, guitarist for The Blues ExplosionRocky Bleier, NFL football playerJohn Bradley, Iwo Jima Navy flag-raiser Brian Butch, UW-Madison basketball player, McDonald's All-AmericanWillem Dafoe, actorEdna Ferber, authorWilliam Norman Grigg, authorJ. P. Hayes, golferHarry Houdini, magician (childhood home)Roger Jenkins, hockey playerRon Kostelnik, football playerJeff Loomis, guitaristJoseph McCarthy, senatorSteve Millar, lead singer/guitarist for The Rest, MusicianWilliam Beverly Murphy, former CEO Campbell's Soup Co. and conceiver of Nielsen Food & Drug Index (childhood home)Greta Van Susteren, FoxNews television anchorWalter B. Wriston, bankerSteve Kagen, US CongressmanNotable businessesKimberly ClarkPierce ManufacturingThriventPoints of interest Appleton Art Center Fox Cities Performing Arts Center Fox River Mall (in nearby Grand Chute) Fox Valley Technical College Gardens of the Fox Cities Goodland Field Hearthstone Historic House Museum The History Museum at the Castle Lawrence University Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (in nearby Grand Chute)External linksCity of AppletonAppleton Public LibraryFox Cities Online - local non-profit community networkFox Valley Memory - local history portalOutagamie County Historical SocietyAppleton Public Library Local History Collection
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
 |
|
2 people reviewed Appleton
|
Top
|
|
|
|
at 9:44AM May 29, 2008
Sooo cold but great people and I saw the Northern Lights!!!
|
|
|
at 3:38PM May 28, 2008
Not a whole lot going on besides a few shows at the PAC.
|
|
|
|
Add to
My Places
Plan Your Visit
