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Appleton, Wisconsin sits along the Fox River with an identity that punches well above its size. The city claims Harry Houdini as a native son -- he grew up here after his family emigrated from Hungary, and the connection runs deep enough to warrant a full museum. In 1882, Appleton became the first city in the world to operate a commercially successful hydroelectric central station, powering electric lights along College Avenue long before most of America had heard of the idea.

Lawrence University has anchored the city's cultural life since 1847, and the paper mills that once lined the Fox River gave Appleton a hardworking industrial character that it still carries today.

The downtown has shed the paper-mill economy for brewpubs, farm-to-table restaurants, and one of Wisconsin's most walkable main streets. College Avenue rewards an afternoon stroll, with independent shops and the ornate Fox Cities Performing Arts Center drawing audiences from across the region.