Grand Chute is a town of
18,392
people during the 2000 census and is located in northeast
Wisconsin. As the largest town in
Wisconsin, Grand Chute has affected the neighboring city of Appleton, taking business away from the downtown area and creating a commercial "feud" between the two communities. It is home of the
Fox River Mall, which is one of the largest malls in the state and is visited regularly by
people as far as the UP of Michigan.
The most interesting thing about the town resides in the fact that Appleton police and Grand Chute police continually wrestle with jurisdiction within their boundaries. Since neither community is large enough, both police forces are regularly found in each others territory. Astoundingly, Grand Chute residents ridicule Appleton police for being "elitist assholes" because of their status as city police officers and Appleton residents laugh at the "small town" police officers from Grand Chute for being
lax and passive. An objective perspective would reveal that Appleton does not even seem big enough to be a city worthy of having "city class", as in
Chicago, and Grand Chute is considered Appleton in every way except for the police department and town board. I'
ve spent my whole life in Grand Chute and my home address has always been written as "Appleton".