Seymour feels like an old-school American community
Seymour is located in the heart of Wisconsin’s dairy farmland, about 30 minutes outside Green Bay and Appleton. It’s a place that still has a rural lifestyle and maintains a small-town community. Seymour’s sense of old-school Americana can perhaps be felt the strongest during the annual Burger Fest — an all-out celebration of the city’s legacy as the birthplace of the hamburger. “For such a small community, we’ve got a lot of really wonderful things happening,” says Elizabeth Timmins, the director & programmer at Muehl Public Library. “There’s a farmers' market and fitness classes, our Lions Club is really active, and the Hamburger festival is amazing.”
Midcentury homes on quiet, residential streets
Seymour’s streets are quiet, with midcentury ranch styles and vintage bungalows tucked under canopies of mature trees. Only a few places have sidewalks, and backyards often have enough space for a garden. There are a few older properties from the 1800s in the heart of town and some modern construction around the edges. Most homes range in price from $200,000 to $400,000, depending on age and condition.
Best known for being the “Home of the Hamburger”
When a vendor at the Seymour Fair of 1885 decided to serve his meatballs flattened between bread, he forever changed American cuisine by inventing the hamburger. To this day, Seymour bills itself as the “Home of the Hamburger,” and holds a blowout Burger Fest each year to celebrate. There’s a burger-themed parade, a burger-eating contest, the Bun Run, and the infamous ketchup slide, where participants compete for the longest slide through real ketchup. Colorful hot air balloons fill the sky, glowing bright when the sun starts to set.
Other local events include the annual Outagamie County Fair, which features carnival rides, livestock shows and tractor pulls. The fairgrounds are also used for concerts and dirt races at the Seymour Speedway.
Seymour High School has a public swimming pool
Elementary-aged kids are split between Rock Ledge Primary for kindergarten through second grade and Rock Ledge Intermediate for third through fifth grade. Both schools receive a C rating from Niche. Then it’s on to Seymour Middle, rated C, and Seymour Community High School, rated C-plus. All schools are located on the same campus in the city's southwest corner. The high school is home to the Seymour Aquatic Center, which has a main pool and a kiddie pool. The pool is open to the public almost every day, offering swim clubs and senior aerobics classes.
Watering holes and hiking trails in rural Outagamie County
The city has a few parks with playgrounds and sports courts. Seymour Lake Park is a unique spot that is used as a swimming hole in the summer and freezes over into an ice rink in the winter. A gazebo in the heart of town has weekly evening concerts in the summer. Golfers can head over to Crystal Springs Golf Course, an 18-hole course with a restaurant perched on one of the highest points in Outagamie County. And the Newton Blackmour State Trail spans 22 miles from downtown into the forest and farmland.
Seymour is within a half-hour of many of Outagamie County’s preserved nature areas, which have hiking, snowmobiling, hunting and occasional glimpses of the Northern Lights. Residents can also travel a half hour to the shores of Lake Winnebago or Green Bay.
Dive bars, coffee shops and a standout library along Main Street
Seymour’s Main Street runs past dive bars, coffee shops and the well-loved Don’s Quality Food Market — the city’s only large grocery store. Hotel Seymour Supperclub is a standout restaurant, with fine dining and a serve-yourself salad bar in a historic building.
Muehl Public Library has regular events, including storytime, book clubs and crafting groups. Anyone can drop by to use computers and free WiFi, and kids enjoy visiting with the library’s two beloved guinea pigs. The small library received statewide recognition when Director Elizabeth Timmins won the Wisconsin Librarian of the Year award in 2017. “We’ve got a fundraiser going on right now to add a makers space,” says Timmins. “We are going for Library of the Year next, and we are well-poised to do it.”
Thirty minutes to Green Bay and Appleton
Appleton and Green Bay are both about 20 miles away, typically a 30-minute drive. Both cities have large employers, more extensive shopping options, and international airports. Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport and Appleton International Airport are about the same size. Although Seymour has medical centers for doctor's appointments, major hospitals are also located in the two larger cities.
Minor risk of tornadoes
As reported by county records, 36 tornadoes have touched down in Outagamie County from 1950 to 2024. In 2022, an EF-1 tornado touched down in Seymour specifically. According to FirstStreet.org, the Wind Risk in Seymour is minor.
Written By
Catherine Lashley
