Appleton, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia : A : AP : APP : Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, on the Fox River, 100 miles (161 km) north of Milwaukee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 70,087. It is the county seat of Outagamie County[Geographic references#6GR6], but extends into both Calumet County and Winnebago County.
Appleton was the childhood home (but not the birthplace as he sometimes claimed) of magician Harry Houdini, author Edna Ferber and Iwo Jima flag-raiser John Bradley, and is the birthplace of actor Willem Dafoe, and football player Rocky Bleier. Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who was born nearby in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, is buried in Appleton, in St. Mary's Parish Cemetery. Appleton also had the first telephone in all Wisconsin, the first Chinese restaurant in Outagamie County, and the first incandescent light in any city beyond the East Coast.
The first hydroelectric power was generated in Appleton, on the Fox River.
The city has commercial air service provided at Outagamie County Regional Airport.
The Valley Fair Mall, recognized as the first enclosed shopping mall in the United States, was built in Appleton in 1954, and will be mostly destroyed in 2006, pending the sale from the previous (now bankrupt) mall owners, Youthfutures INC.
History
Appleton was settled in 1848 and incorporated as a village in 1853 and as a city in 1857. Early in the twentieth 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.Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 55.3 km² (21.4 mi²). 54.1 km² (20.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (2.20%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 70,087 people, 26,864 households, and 17,676 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,296.0/km² (3,355.9/mi²). There were 27,736 housing units at an average density of 512.9/km² (1,328.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.48% White, 0.99% African American, 0.57% Native American, 4.61% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.05% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.53% of the population.
There were 26,864 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,285, and the median income for a family was $57,097. Males had a median income of $40,459 versus $25,890 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,478. About 3.3% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Educational institutions
- Lawrence University, a private liberal arts college, is located in Appleton on the shores of the Fox River.
- University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, a two-year collegiate campus of the University of Wisconsin System.
- Fox Valley Technical College has its main campus just outside Appleton.
High schools
- Xavier High School, the city's Roman Catholic high school.
- Fox Valley Lutheran High School, the city's Lutheran high school.
Religion
Points of interest
- Gardens of the Fox Cities
- Fox River Mall
- Fox Cities Performing Arts Center (PAC)
- Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
External links
- [Lost Wax Casting in Appleton]
- [City of Appleton]
- [Appleton Public Library]
- [Appleton Area School District]
- [Fox Cities Online Community Network]
- [Fox Valley Memory - local history portal]
- [Appleton Post-Crescent newspaper]
- [TheCommunityPage.com - Local online directory for Appleton and surrounding communities]
- [Outagamie County Historical Society]
- [The Appleton, Wisconsin Blog]
- [Welcome to Appleton, Wisconsin]
- [Appleton Downtown]
- [Appleton Public Library Local History Collection]: A digital collection documenting the history of this area, from the Appleton Public Library and presented by the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center.
- *[Maps and aerial photos]
- * Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
| |
|
|---|---|
| Surrounding municipalities (over 10,000) | |
| Grand Chute* | Kaukauna° | Little Chute‡ | Menasha° | Neenah° | Menasha* | |
| (less than 10,000) | |
|
Buchanan* |
Center* |
Clayton* |
Combined Locks‡ |
Freedom* |
Greenville* Harrison* | Kaukauna* | Kimberly‡ | Sherwood‡ | Vandenbroek* | |
| Counties | |
| Outagamie | Winnebago | Calumet | |
| *town ‡village °city | |
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