Appleton

Sister cities

• Kurgan

History

The territory where Appleton is today was formerly 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. In the Menominee language, Appleton is known as Ahkōnemeh, or "watches for them place". 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. 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. 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. Shortly thereafter, in August 1886, Appleton was the site for another national first, the operation of a commercially successful electric…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. 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 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 during the 1936 Dust Bowl and the coldest was in 1929. }}

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,638
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,213
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,113
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  11,034
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,530
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  9,428
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,264
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  8,622

Largest nearby schools

• Kimberly High
  High · Kimberly · 1,595 students · 15.2:1 ratio
• North High
  High · Appleton · 1,561 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• East High
  High · Appleton · 1,306 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Kaukauna High
  High · Kaukauna · 1,261 students · 16:1 ratio
• West High
  High · Appleton · 1,157 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• River View School
  Middle · Kaukauna · 1,148 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Appleton Community 4K
  Other · Appleton · 750 students · 24.2:1 ratio
• Gerritts Middle
  Middle · Kimberly · 748 students · 15.3:1 ratio