Appleton is a city in Calumet, Outagamie, and Winnebago Counties in Wisconsin, on the Fox River, 100 miles north of Milwaukee.

Appleton is a fabulous small town nestled in northeastern Wisconsin near Lake Michigan and at the north end of large Lake Winnebago, home of the unique Winnebago lake fly.

Appleton, once known as the "woodland city" and later "the Lowell of the West" (after the city in Massachusetts) grew up along the Fox River, which provided water power and transportation for the paper manufacturing industry that still dominates the area. Today, fourteen Wisconsin communities including Appleton refer to themselves as Fox Cities.

The many trees, city parks, a river lined with old mansions, and interesting shops provide the community with a lively downtown. The once-polluted river, unique in that it is one of the few American rivers flowing northward for its entire course, has been largely restored and is a popular site for swimming, fishing, and boating. Appleton consistently scores high on lists of the best places to live in the United States; it is safe, affordable, and offers a variety of cultural and artistic events.

Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and is the sixth college to be founded coeducational in the United Sates of America. With a four hundred and twenty five acre campus it has plenty to offer. The university is considered one of the “Best Values’ by the Princeton Review and is ranked number fifty six for Liberal arts colleges in the country. Small classes emphasize learning and the student to teacher ratio (9:1) is considered on of the best in the country for those that prefer more personal instruction.

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.

Housing Cost

Real estate in Appleton is doing fairly well, despite the sub-prime mortgage fiasco that has impacted the nation for the most part. In fact, Appleton’s postwar years have been steadily improving with housing remaining strong.

Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $138,000

Demographics

Population in July 2007: 70,017. Appleton covers 20.9 square miles. It sits at an elevation of 790 feet above sea level.

Zip codes: 54911. 54912, 54913, 54914, 54915, 54919 - Area code: 920

Weather

Appleton, WI climate is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 70's and extremely cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 10's.

The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 81.40 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 7.80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 19 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 17 degrees Fahrenheit.

The annual average precipitation at Appleton is 30.16 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is August with an average rainfall of 3.90 Inches.

Information provided by idcide.com and city data.com