A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Appleton, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Appleton skyline | |
| Motto: "One Great Place"[1] | |
 Location of Appleton in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties, Wisconsin | |
  Appleton  Appleton | |
| Coordinates: 44°16′N 88°24′W / 44.267°N 88.400°W | |
| 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 |
| • Mayor | Jake Woodford[3] |
| 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 | |
| • City | 75,644[2] |
| • Rank | 6th in Wisconsin |
| • Density | 2,989.15/sq mi (1,154.12/km2) |
| • Urban | 230,967 (US: 171st)[5] |
| • Urban density | 2,143.0/sq mi (827.4/km2) |
| • Metro | 243,147 (US: 194th) |
| Demonym | Appletonians[7] |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−05:00 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code | 54911, 54912, 54913, 54914, 54915, 54919 |
| Area code | 920 |
| FIPS code | 55-02375[8] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1560914[9] |
| Major airport | Appleton International Airport (ATW) |
| Major Routes |    |
| Public Transit |  |
| Website | www |
Appleton (Menominee: Ahkōnemeh) is a city in and the county seat of Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. A small portion of the city also extends into Calumet and Winnebago counties. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles (160 km) north of Milwaukee. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 75,644, making it the sixth-most populous city in Wisconsin. Appleton is part of the Fox Cities metropolitan area, the third-largest metro area in the state with over 415,000 residents.
Appleton serves as the heart of the Fox River Valley, which is home to Lawrence University, the Fox Cities Exhibition Center, Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Fox River Mall, Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium, Appleton International Airport, and the Valley's two major hospitals: St. Elizabeth Hospital and ThedaCare Regional Medical Center–Appleton. It also hosts regional events such as Octoberfest[11] and the Mile of Music.
History
Native American history
The territory where Appleton is today was traditionally occupied by the Ho-Chunk and the Menominee. The Menominee Nation ceded the territory to the United States in the Treaty of the Cedars in 1836, with Chief Oshkosh representing the Menominee. The treaty came at the end of several years of negotiations between the Menominee, the Ho-Chunk and the federal government about how to accommodate the Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Brothertown peoples who were removed from New York to Wisconsin.[13] The Ho-Chunk never ratified the final treaty as only the Menominee ceded land.[14] In the Menominee language, Appleton is known as Ahkōnemeh, or "watches for them place".[15]
The first European settlers in Appleton were fur traders seeking to do business with Fox River Valley Native Americans. Hippolyte Grignon built the White Heron in 1835 to house his family and serve as an inn and trading post.[16]
European settlement
Appleton was settled in 1847. It was founded as three unincorporated villages along the Fox River. From south to north along the river, these were Grand Chute, Appleton, and Lawesburg. In 1853, the three were merged into the single incorporated Village of Appleton. John F. Johnston was the first resident and village president. Lawrence University, also founded in 1847, was backed financially by Amos A. Lawrence and originally known as the Lawrence Institute. Samuel Appleton, Lawrence's father-in-law from New England who never visited Wisconsin, donated $10,000 to the newly founded college library, and the town took his name in appreciation.[17][18][19]
The paper industry, beginning with the building of the first paper mill in the city in 1853, has been at the forefront of the development of Appleton. In order to provide electricity to the paper industry, the nation's first hydro-electric central station, the Vulcan Street Plant on the Fox River, began operation on September 30, 1882. The power plant also powered the Hearthstone House, the first residence in the world powered by a centrally located hydroelectric station using the Edison system.[20]
Shortly thereafter, in August 1886, Appleton was the site for another national first, the operation of a commercially successful electric streetcar company. Electric lights replaced gas lamps on College Avenue in 1912. Appleton also had the first telephone in Wisconsin, and the first incandescent light in any city outside of the East Coast.[21]
The community was incorporated as a city on March 2, 1857,[22] with Amos Story as its first mayor. Early in the 20th century, it adopted the commission form of government. 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.
Significant annexations to the city, taken from the Town of Grand Chute, were performed in the next two decades. The first, the "Glendale" district, was completed on November 8, 1941, growing Appleton north past Glendale Avenue.[23] Another became official on December 22, 1950, after multi-year disputes, when the unincorporated villages of Bell Heights and Whispering Pines were annexed into the city from Grand Chute.[24] Bell Heights added new area to the northwest edge of Appleton, and Whispering Pines, to the northeast, would include land where Appleton Memorial Hospital would later be built. Bell Heights and Whispering Pines increased the population of the city by ten percent, and its area by twenty percent, overnight.[24]
Appleton's tallest building, the 222 Building was built in 1952.[25] The Valley Fair Shopping Center, built in 1954, laid claim to being the first enclosed shopping mall in the United States, although this claim is disputed by other malls. In 2007 most of the structure was demolished, leaving only its east wing and a movie theater. A Pick 'n Save Food Center now stands in its place.
From approximately 1930–1970, Appleton was a sundown town: black people were not allowed to stay overnight,[26] and none lived within its city limits by 1930.[27] In 1936, the Institute of Paper Chemistry tried to hire the famous African-American chemist Percy Julian, but could not figure out how to do this without running afoul of what was stated as "an arcane law on the City of Appleton's books".[28] A fight over Julian's employment ensued, and he was hired by Glidden in Chicago instead.[29][28] Appleton's sundown status was largely de facto and not de jure; it stood by unwritten consensus and enforcement, such as by police strongly encouraging black people to leave town after dark.[27] A partial exception was made for opera singer Marian Anderson when she sang at Lawrence University in 1941; she was allowed to stay overnight in the Conway Hotel, but even then was not allowed to eat dinner in public.[30]
Following the Flint water crisis, a report of Wisconsin Rust Belt cities showed high levels of lead contamination in the water of Appleton, with children under the age of 1 testing positive for lead. With a state average of 1.9 per 100 for this age group, Appleton tested at 4.5 per 100 for the same age group.[31]
Geography
Appleton is located at 44°16′N 88°24′W / 44.267°N 88.400°W (44.278819, −88.392625).[32] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.82 square miles (64.28 km2), of which, 24.33 square miles (63.01 km2) is land and 0.49 square miles (1.27 km2) is water.[33]
Climate
Appleton has a humid continental climate typical of Wisconsin. Summers are warm to hot and winters are rather cold in comparison. Precipitation is relatively moderate compared to other areas close to the Great Lakes, which means lesser snowfall in winter than in many other cold areas.
A dew point of 90 °F (32 °C) was observed at Appleton at 5 p.m. on July 13, 1995. This is tied for the second highest dew point ever observed in the United States and coincides with the 1995 Chicago heat wave.
Being inland from Lake Michigan, Appleton is prone to temperature extremes. The hottest temperature recorded was 107 °F (42 °C) during the 1936 Dust Bowl and the coldest was −32 °F (−36 °C) in 1929.[34] The coldest maximum on record is −20 °F (−29 °C) set in 1994 and the warmest minimum being 82 °F (28 °C) in 1912.[34] On average, the coldest maximum temperature of the year during the normals between 1991 and 2020 was at a frigid 1 °F (−17 °C) and the warmest minimum averaged 73 °F (23 °C).[34]
| Climate data for Appleton, Wisconsin (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 55 (13) |
68 (20) |
83 (28) |
89 (32) |
95 (35) |
101 (38) |
107 (42) |
103 (39) |
101 (38) |
89 (32) |
75 (24) |
64 (18) |
107 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 43 (6) |
47 (8) |
64 (18) |
76 (24) |
86 (30) |
91 (33) |
92 (33) |
90 (32) |
87 (31) |
78 (26) |
62 (17) |
48 (9) |
94 (34) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 25.4 (−3.7) |
29.1 (−1.6) |
40.6 (4.8) |
54.0 (12.2) |
67.2 (19.6) |
77.0 (25.0) |
81.5 (27.5) |
79.3 (26.3) |
71.9 (22.2) |
57.8 (14.3) |
43.4 (6.3) |
30.7 (−0.7) |
54.8 (12.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 17.7 (−7.9) |
20.4 (−6.4) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
44.0 (6.7) |
56.8 (13.8) |
66.8 (19.3) |
71.4 (21.9) |
69.5 (20.8) |
61.3 (16.3) |
48.6 (9.2) |
35.5 (1.9) |
23.8 (−4.6) |
45.6 (7.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 10.0 (−12.2) |
11.7 (−11.3) |
22.1 (−5.5) |
33.9 (1.1) |
46.4 (8.0) |
56.6 (13.7) |
61.3 (16.3) |
59.8 (15.4) |
50.8 (10.4) |
39.3 (4.1) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
16.8 (−8.4) |
36.4 (2.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −10 (−23) |
−7 (−22) |
2 (−17) |
19 (−7) |
31 (−1) |
42 (6) |
50 (10) |
47 (8) |
35 (2) |
25 (−4) |
12 (−11) |
−3 (−19) |
−14 (−26) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −30 (−34) |
−32 (−36) |
−21 (−29) |
7 (−14) |
23 (−5) |
34 (1) |
41 (5) |
35 (2) |
25 (−4) |
15 (−9) |
−7 (−22) |
−23 (−31) |
−32 (−36) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.36 (35) |
1.13 (29) |
1.92 (49) |
3.24 (82) |
3.64 (92) |
4.65 (118) |
3.78 (96) |
3.58 (91) |
3.18 (81) |
2.84 (72) |
2.07 (53) |
1.76 (45) |
33.15 (842) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 12.6 (32) |
11.2 (28) |
7.2 (18) |
4.0 (10) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
2.4 (6.1) |
11.6 (29) |
49.4 (125) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.2 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 11.5 | 11.1 | 10.5 | 9.8 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 9.9 | 122.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 8.2 | 7.7 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 2.8 | 7.7 | 34.0 |
| Source: NOAA[34][35] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 2,345 | — | |
| 1870 | 4,518 | 92.7% | |
| 1880 | 8,005 | 77.2% | |
| 1890 | 11,869 | 48.3% | |
| 1900 | 15,085 | 27.1% | |
| 1910 | 16,773 | 11.2% | |
| 1920 | 19,561 | 16.6% | |
| 1930 | 25,267 | 29.2% | |
| 1940 | 28,436 | 12.5% | |
| 1950 | 34,010 | 19.6% | |
| 1960 | 48,411 | 42.3% | |
| 1970 | 56,377 | 16.5% | |
| 1980 | 58,913 | 4.5% | |
| 1990 | 65,695 | 11.5% | |
| 2000 | 70,087 | 6.7% | |
| 2010 | 72,623 | 3.6% | |
| 2020 | 75,644 | 4.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[36] 2020 census[2] | |||
Appleton is the principal city of the Appleton–Oshkosh–Neenah CSA, a Combined Statistical Area which includes the Appleton (Calumet and Outagamie counties) and Oshkosh–Neenah (Winnebago County) metropolitan areas,[citation needed] which had a combined population of 392,660 at the 2010 census[37] and an estimated population of 409,881 as of 2019.[37]
2020 census
As of the census of 2020,[38] the city's population was 75,644. The population density was 3,051.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,178.2/km2). There were 31,747 housing units at an average density of 1,280.7 per square mile (494.5/km2). Ethnically, the population was 7.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race. When grouping both Hispanic and non-Hispanic people together by race, the city was 80.1% White, 6.4% Asian, 3.13% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 6.5% from two or more races.
The 2020 census population of the city included 318 people incarcerated in adult correctional facilities and 1,275 people in student housing.[39]
According to the American Community Survey estimates for 2016–2020, the median income for a household in the city was $61,475, and the median income for a family was $76,791. Male full-time workers had a median income of $51,431 versus $41,564 for female workers. The per capita income for the city was $33,282. About 7.8% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.[40] Of the population age 25 and over, 92.6% were high school graduates or higher and 33.6% had a bachelor's degree or higher.[41]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census,[6] there were 72,623 people, 28,874 households, and 18,271 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,984.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,152.5/km2). There were 30,348 housing units at an average density of 1,247.3 per square mile (481.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.5% White, 1.7% African American, 0.7% Native American, 5.9% Asian, 2.2% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.0% of the population.
There were 28,874 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.7% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.04.
The median age in the city was 35.3 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.
Crime
FBI crime statistics for 2009 list the crime rate (per 100,000 population) for Appleton as follows:[42]
| Crime | Appleton | Wisconsin | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 234.7 | 257.0 | 429.4 |
| Murder | 1.4 | 2.5 | 5.0 |
| Forcible rape | 29.9 | 19.6 | 28.7 |
| Robbery | 25.6 | 85.8 | 133.0 |
| Aggravated assault | 177.8 | 149.1 | 262.8 |
| Property crime | 2,680.2 | 2,608.2 | 3,036.1 |
| Burglary | 465.2 | 472.9 | 716.3 |
| Larceny-theft | 2,163.8 | 1,977.4 | 2,060.9 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 51.2 | 157.8 | 258.8 |
Economy
Largest employers
As of 2020, the largest employers in the city were:[43]