Why visit Appleton
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 1 place to eat and 2 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Appleton City Hall.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 85°F; January lows average 4°F, and about 51 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Appleton
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Appleton
Appleton is a small city in Swift County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 1,392 at the 2020 census. The towna has a high unemployment rate, lower household incomes, and higher number of families living in poverty. It is home to a vacant medium-security prison, the Prairie Correctional Facility, which is wholly owned and operated by Corrections Corporation of America.
From the Wikipedia article Appleton, Minnesota (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks1
Appleton City Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
United States historic place
Restaurants and cafes1
Subway
Fast food · Sandwich
25 Southwest Minnesota Street, Appleton
Mo 07:00-19:00; Tu 09:00-20:00; We 09:00-19:00; Th 09:00-20:00;...
Where to stay2
Appleton Municipal Campground - Mill Pond Park
Campground
$15-$25
Prairie Waters Inn
Motel and hotel · 0.8 mi
900 North Munsterman Street, Appleton
Churches and places of worship5
Gethsemane Episcopal Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places
Historic church in Appleton, Minnesota
History
Appleton was laid out in 1872, and named after the founder ´s birthplace in Appleton, Wisconsin. A post office has been in operation at Appleton since 1873. A flour mill on the banks of the Pomme de Terre River was in operation from 1872 until the late 1960’s. The Hastings and Dakota Railroad (out of Milwaukee, WI) was extended from Benson, Minnesota to Appleton in 1872.
Appleton was incorporated in 1881. Gethsemane Episcopal Church, on North Hering Street at Snelling Avenue, was built in 1879 like Appleton City Hall and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
In 1946, then Appleton Mayor Robert P. Miller noticed that the number of WWII fatalities was the same as Appleton´s number of streets, so the streets were named after vetereans and became a living memorial. To date, Appleton is the only town in the U.S., where all its streets and avenues are named for its fallen soldiers.
From the History section of Appleton, Minnesota on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Schools, colleges and libraries2
Healthcare1
Map of Appleton
12 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24°F | 4°F | 0.8 in | 9.5 in |
| Feb | 29°F | 9°F | 0.7 in | 10.1 in |
| Mar | 42°F | 22°F | 1.4 in | 9.2 in |
| Apr | 59°F | 35°F | 2.5 in | 6.0 in |
| May | 72°F | 47°F | 3.1 in | 0.1 in |
| Jun | 81°F | 58°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 85°F | 61°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 82°F | 59°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 50°F | 2.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 61°F | 38°F | 2.4 in | 1.2 in |
| Nov | 43°F | 24°F | 1.1 in | 6.3 in |
| Dec | 29°F | 11°F | 0.8 in | 8.6 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Milan 1Nw Hcn (7 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Swift County has had 12 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for floods.
- 2023-07-19: Severe Storms And Flooding (Flood)
- 2022-08-09: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2022-07-08: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-04-07: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2019-06-12: Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Benson Municipal Airport (BBB) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 21 miles away.
- Milan 8 mi southeast, about 13 min by car
- Madison 15 mi southwest, about 24 min by car
- Dawson 19 mi south, about 30 min by car
- Benson 22 mi east, about 35 min by car
- Ortonville 22 mi west, about 35 min by car
- Montevideo 23 mi southeast, about 37 min by car
- Hancock 23 mi northeast, about 38 min by car
- Big Stone City 23 mi west, about 37 min by car
- Willmar 47 mi east, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Marshall 53 mi south, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- AppletonCityHall, Jake DeGroot, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Gethsemane Episcopal Church Appleton MN, Jatakuck, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.