The Mayor's Office of Appleton has released their Diversity Breakdown for Appleton. Actually, there isn't a breakdown at all: Appleton is making strong progress in diversity. Minority populations now account for 15% of Appleton. compared to 2% in 1980, 4% in 1990, and 9% in 1990, based on census data.

In 2010, Appleton's population of 72,623 people had 5.9% from Asian and the Pacific Islands (dominated by our Hmong population from southeast Asia), 5% Hispanic/Latino, 1.6% African or African American, and 1.7% representing two or more races.

Much of the Hispanic population comes from Mexico. Interestingly, one state in Mexico seems to be very highly represented: Guanjuato. I base this just on my personal experiences: so many Spanish-speakers that I meet in the area say they are from there. I've also got a lot of friends with roots in the beautiful city of Puebla, Mexico, famous for its many churches and church festivals.

I'm allegedly part Mohawk, just a minuscule fraction, though one of my Oneida Indian friends says he can see it in my face and the way I walk. Is he just flattering me? The Oneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin is the major source of Native American roots in this area, though a variety of tribes are represented.

I think Appleton has become much more comfortable with diversity in the past decade or two. May that continue. It really is a fabulous place to live, one where I hope people from all cultures and races will feel welcome and warmly greeted, no matter how cold it may get some days.

UPDATE, April 5: We have an instant winner! Congratulations to Ben Miller of Appleton!

UPDATE: Contest extended to April 15. Rules relaxed: now you will win instantly if you can identify just 4 of the photos. To help, here are some scattered clues: Bowling is featured. "RK" comes from a short word in downtown Menasha. A furniture store is shown. Spock's home. Good place for kids in Appleton. Downtown mural.

Sorry this one was so hard!

It's time for another Appleton Mystery Photos Contest, expanded to include other parts of the Fox Valley such as Menasha and Neenah (in this contest). Here are 10 photos. The contest ends March 22. The first one to identify the locations of all 10 photos, or the one with the most correct answers by March 22, will win $20 credit at Affordable Rare Coins of Appleton (402 W. Northland Ave., Appleton, WI 54911), a great place to explore history, learn about real money, and prepare for the ravages of inflation. You can pick up some nice silver coins for $20 with no need to purchase more, but I suggest you do. In addition to $20 at Affordable Rare Coins, you'll also win your choice of either a free copy of my book, Conquering Innovation Fatigue (by Jeff Lindsay, Cheryl Perkins and Mukund Karanjikar, John Wiley & Sons, 2009) or, if don't enjoy top-notch business books, then an 8x10 print of one of my Fox Valley photos that you select. Not to mention fame and glory. Send submissions by email with "MYSTERY PHOTO CONTEST" as the subject. Send them to jeff at magicinnovation d0t com and copy your submissions to jeff at jefflindsay d0t com for good measure.

If you've won in the past, feel free to win again! We've got some good photo sleuths out there and I don't consider this contest to be especially difficult, so act fast to win.

As with most of my photos on this blog, you can click to enlarge.

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.

The great people at Franklin Street Inn asked for some of my photography help in making their new video about the Fox Valley and their inn. They provided the photos of their establishment, but many of the photos of the Appleton area and beyond come from my ever growing collection of Fox Valley photos.



For even more, why not visit Appleton's Glass Nickel Pizza, where you'll see my photos from the Valley mounted on their walls, including my famous psychedelic train photo. Please be sure to tell them that Jeff the photographer sent you. If you like any of the photos hanging there, you can buy them. Contact me at jeff at magicinnovation d0t com and jeff at jefflindsay dot com.

Recently I had a little time before my wife dropped me off at the airport to catch a flight, so I surprised her by stopping at Carmella's for a lite meal. Perfection! We tried a cappicola panini and their soup of the day (had sausage and potatoes in a light white base--a hearty country dish). Both were just scrumptious. Plus wonderful bread. What I really liked about the panini was the flavor of the cheese, a rich Italian cheese called Tallegio that is hard to find but very good. Has a rich flavor that might remind you of brie.

At Carmella's, they really get food. Probably my favorite place at the moment. We were there at around 4 pm on a weekday. Not crowded at all and service was brisk. The panini was $11 and the soup was $4. Not bad at all.