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Interesting Facts
- Hey, where's Number 88? Sadly, the famous "Receiver" statue (the player's jersey number was 88), which had marked the entrance of the Packer Hall of Fame since 1985, did not make the move to the new location in the Titletown Atrium because officials felt it did not fit the Hall's new image.
- Where is the heart and soul of the Green Bay scene? One vein would argue in favor of the Stadium District, with its sports bars, Bret Favre's Steakhouse, and world famous Kroll's West. The college-aged crowd tends toward the Olde Main area, where joints like Classics and the Cock & Bull stay packed until the wee hours of the morning. On Washington Street is a trendier bar scene highlighted by dance clubs like Oasis and Lexus and upscale watering holes like Oxford's Cafe or Brew Baker's. Perhaps Green Bay's most up-and-coming scene, though, is the Historic Broadway District, which boasts unique eateries in addition to the ever-popular Harry the Hipster and Titletown Brewing Co.
- What's the oldest European settlement in the Midwest? While some offer up Chicago, others may contend that St. Louis or Milwaukee is at the forefront. None of those is right, though. In fact, a settlement near the site of modern Green Bay was established in 1634.
- Holmgren Way. Lombardi Avenue. Packerland Drive. Ray Nitschke Bridge. To even the most casual observer, it's clear that Green Bay is a football town. Indeed, the community and the team have enjoyed a fine marriage since the 1920s, when a group led by Curly Lambeau gained the financial support of the entire town. In effect, the Packers became a publicly-owned corporation and continue to operate as such, making the organization a rarity in pro sports – a team owned by the community.
- Wisconsin's Fox River, Africa's Nile River, Florida's St. Johns River, and the Tennessee River – each carves its way through dramatically different terrain, but is the lifeblood of its region. Some of these rivers function as a primary source of drinking water, while others serve as an avenue for cargo transport. However, all share one rather uncommon trait: they flow north.
- The nearby town of De Pere earned its name in the mid-17th century, when French fur-traders exploring the region happened upon a turbulent section of the Fox River that they dubbed "les Rapides des Pères" (Rapids of the Fathers). In the 1670s, Father Claude Allouez (for whom the bridge that connects De Pere's east and west sides is named) established a mission here. Some 200-plus years later, the city of De Pere was officially incorporated and, by 1890, East and West De Pere merged.
- French fur trader Jean Nicolet established a trading post at the southern end of Green Bay around 1634, and the post remained under French control until approximately 1761. That year, while engaged in the French-Indian War, the British took control of the Bay and the settlement that had grown there , holding it until after the War of 1812, when Americans finally gained control of Northeastern Wisconsin.
- Why the Packers? Green Bay's NFL franchise is named in honor of the people employed in the city's manufacturing, papermaking, and food-processing industries – in other words, the hard-working souls who pack and load the transports for delivery and give the city its strong work ethic and fun-loving spirit.
- Quilted Northern, one of the world's largest toilet tissue companies, is based in Green Bay, thus earning the city the title "Toilet Paper Capital of the World." The company began humbly in 1902 as part of Northern Paper Mills and has, over the course of the past century, played a significant "role" in American households.
- The only link between the east and west sides of De Pere, historic Claude Allouez Bridge was completed in the 1930s and – save for minor repairs and upkeep – has remained in operation ever since. Those visiting De Pere for the first time should park their cars and walk the entire length of the bridge, stopping along the way to take in excellent views of the Fox River. Studies conducted in 1997, however, have shown the bridge to be in poor condition and indicate that, at some point in the future, it will need to be either completely refurbished or replaced.
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