Appleton - Wisconsin - Culture

Appleton represents the heart of the Fox Cities, a cluster of municipalities located along the Fox River in east central Wisconsin. The City has a population of about 70,000 and is the largest of the 7 Fox Cities. The population of the metropolitan area is more than 155,000. It is the 6th largest city in Wisconsin.

The City of Appleton is a friendly, growing community in the heart of east-central Wisconsin's Fox River Valley. It is a great place to live, work and raise a family. The Fox Cities offer an attractive location, a diverse and stable economy, outstanding educational facilities, diverse recreational and cultural resources, and an excellent quality of life.

Appleton enjoys a climate characterized by four distinct seasons, affording residents and visitors’ excellent opportunities for diverse outdoor recreational activities. The seasonal changes are a fine complement to the area's many natural resources.

Appleton's Economic Development Department administers programs and provides resources to promote Appleton as a leader in the Fox Cities, enhance and diversify the tax base, improve the quality of life of Appleton's citizens, and partner with the community in initiatives which promote Appleton as a vital community in which to live and do business.

Education was, and continues to be, a priority in Appleton. There are 24 public and 13 parochial schools. Lawrence University's 84-acre campus, with 32 instructional, recreational and administrative buildings, 1200 students drawn from 45 states and 38 foreign countries, and a faculty of 114 men and women, lies east of the city's attractive, lively downtown. Students and faculty members supply the community with an endless array of music, drama and sports activities.

Cultural growth was encouraged early in Appleton. Central to that development has been public library service. Beginning in a reading room above a grocery store on College Avenue, the Appleton Public Library has developed over the years. Today it is housed in a modern 2-story facility on North Oneida Street. It offers a 240,000 volume book collection, audiovisual equipment and software rental, as well as computer database searching. In 1986, the APL was designated among the 50 outstanding libraries in the nation.

The preservation of Appleton's history has been the work of the Outgamie County Historical Society. Its museum contains artefacts of Appleton's famous native son, escape artist Harry Houdini and author Edna Ferber, who grew up in Appleton. The museum showcases Appleton's heritage as a progressive, industrious community in Wisconsin's Fox River Valley. The residents of our community are proud of Appleton's past and present, and they manifest a great confidence in its future and a dedication to its ongoing betterment.

Three area hospitals: Appleton Medical Center, St. Elizabeth Hospital, and Theda Clark Regional Medical Center, offer a complete range of health care programs and facilities. The city has 22 developed parks, 4 public swimming pools, and a municipally owned golf course. A minor league baseball team, the Wisconsin Timber Ratters, has a stadium in the area.

Community, county, and state parks that provide picnic sites, camping, biking trails, boating, swimming, fishing, hunting, skating, cross-country and downhill skiing are all within close proximity to Appleton.