Holland was founded by Dutch Americans and is in an area that has a large percentage of citizens of Dutch American heritage. It is home to Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, institutions of the Reformed Church in America. Holland's economy includes manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, and higher education. It is home to a number of prominent companies, including Herman Miller, Haworth, and Adient. The city also attracts thousands of visitors each year for its annual Tulip Time Festival, which celebrates the area's Dutch heritage and tulip fields.
The city spans the Ottawa/Allegan county line, with 9.08 sq mi (23.52 km2) in Ottawa and the remaining 8.13 sq mi (21.06 km2) in Allegan. Holland is the largest city in both Ottawa and Allegan counties. The Ottawa County portion is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, while the Allegan County portion anchors the Holland micropolitan statistical area, which is coextensive with Allegan County. The city is part of the larger Grand Rapids–Wyoming combined statistical area.
History
Ottawa County was originally populated by Ottawa Indians. In 1846, Reverend George Smith established the Old Wing Mission as an outreach to the native population. The Ottawa living here were primarily practicing Catholics, but Smith tried converting them to Protestantism. While generally unsuccessful in converting the Native population, the two groups worked together relatively closely for a short time. This attempt to work and live together was not valued by the next group who arrived.[6]
Holland was settled in 1847 by DutchCalvinistseparatists, under the leadership of Dr. Albertus van Raalte.[7] Dire economic conditions in the Netherlands compelled them to emigrate, while their desire for religious freedom led them to unite and settle together as a group.[8]
Van Raalte and his colony settled on land in the midst of the Ottawa (Odawa) people's Old Wing Mission Colony near the Macatawa River (also known as the Black River) where it streams into Lake Macatawa (Called Black Lake prior to June 4, 1935)[9] which, in turn, leads to Lake Michigan via a channel. The Dutch settlers and the Ottawa people never got along. Dutch settlers began stealing sugar and venison from the Ottawa.[10] The Dutch were unwilling to accept the Ottawa people's mix of Catholic and Native culture. Soon, Dutch leaders tried to force the natives into wooded land in Allegan County.[11] Eventually, the natives moved north to preserve their way of life and culture.[12] Chief Peter Waukazoo and Reverend George Smith decided to move the community and the Ottawa Mission from Holland up to Northport (on the Leelanau Peninsula),[13] voyaging on boats and canoes.
In Holland's early history, Van Raalte was a spiritual leader, as well as overseeing political, educational and financial matters. In 1847, Van Raalte established a congregation of the Reformed Church in America, which would later be called the First Reformed Church of Holland. On March 25, 1867,[14][15] Holland was incorporated as a city with Isaac Cappon being the city's first mayor.
October 1871 Fire
The city suffered a major fire on October 8–10, 1871, at the same time as the Great Chicago Fire in Illinois and the very deadly Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin.[16] Due to the Great Michigan Fire (which included the Port Huron Fire of 1871), Manistee and Port Huron, Michigan, also burned at the same time. Also known as the Great Midwest fires, the series of fires across Michigan claimed approximately 500 lives, though the exact death toll remains unknown.[17] The vast majority of downtown burned in the fire, claiming 1 life in the aftermath of the fire.[18] The exact cause of the fire remains unknown.[18] There are a number of theories about what caused the fire. The congruence with the Chicago fire has led to some claims of a link, such as embers floating over Lake Michigan to start the Holland Fire. However, one of the theories are rather fantastical and fairly unlikely, that burning methane gas from a passing comet lead to the fires. The most likely explanation remains that strong winds strengthened a small brush fire, first igniting the nearby forests before burning the town itself.[19] However, no definitive explanation for the fires have ever been given, and the exact cause remains unknown.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.450 sq mi (45.20 km2), of which, 16.683 sq mi (43.21 km2) is land and 0.767 sq mi (1.99 km2) is water.[2]
A graph showing the age distribution of Holland, MI
2020 census
Holland, Michigan – Racial Composition[24] (NH = Non-Hispanic) Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
As of the 2010 census, there were 33,051 people, 12,021 households, and 7,593 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,992.3/sq mi (769.2/km2). There were 13,212 housing units at an average density of 796.4/sq mi (307.5/km2).
There were 12,021 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.8% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.13.
The median age in the city was 31.7 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 16.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 21% were from 45 to 64; and 13.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.
Economy
Holland is home to the world's largest pickle factory. The H.J. Heinz Company opened the factory at the same location in 1897, and processes over 1 million lbs. of pickles per day during the green season.
The city is perhaps best known for its Dutch heritage, which serves not only as a part of the city's cultural identity, but the local economy as well: the Tulip Time Festival in May and various Dutch-themed attractions augment the nearby Lake Michigan shoreline in attracting thousands of tourists annually. Over 28% of the population identified as being of Dutch descent.[citation needed]
The Holland Museum contains exhibits about the city's history. Another, the Cappon House Museum, was built in 1874 and is a historic museum that once housed the first mayor of Holland, Dutch immigrant Isaac Cappon. The Settlers House Museum, a building that survived the great fire, contains furnishings and relics from the 19th century.[citation needed]
Holland's downtown is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The "Snowmelt Project" established pipes transporting warm water from the nearby power plant to travel underneath downtown with the purpose of clearing the streets and sidewalks in the downtown area of any snow.[28]
De Zwaan, an original 250-year-old Dutch windmill, is situated on Windmill Island, a municipal park. Its height is 125 ft (38 m) with 40 ft (12 m) sails.
Holland boasts an annual Fiesta, organized by Latin Americans United for Progress, usually on the Saturday closest to May 5 (Cinco de Mayo). Holland is also host to the annual Tulipanes Latino Art & Film Festival, which is held to celebrate the Latino contribution to the culture.[29]
Each May, Holland hosts an annual Tulip Time Festival. Tulip planting and the festival began in 1930 when 250,000 tulips were planted for the event.[32] Currently six million tulips are used throughout the city. Tulips are planted along many city streets, in city parks and outside municipal buildings as well as at tourist attractions like Dutch Village, the city-owned Windmill Island Gardens, and at a large tulip farm named Veldheer Tulip Gardens. It is normally held the second week of May, during the tulip blooming season. Cruise ships such as the Yorktown from the Great Lakes Cruising Company make Holland a port of call.[33][34]
About one million tourists visit Tulip Time each year,[35] for which the community finds innovative ways to enhance self-funded projects. The Tulip Time Festival has attracted big-name acts in recent years such as: Christina Aguilera in 2000, O-Town in 2001, the Verve Pipe in 2004, and Jars of Clay in 2006. Ed McMahon visited Tulip Time in 2007 along with Bobby Vinton. Comedian Bill Cosby headlined the 2014 Tulip Time Festival.
Holland is located on Lake Macatawa, near the shores of Lake Michigan. Scattered along the shoreline are many public beach accesses including Tunnel Park and the widely popular Holland State Park. Across the channel from the State Park is the Holland Harbor Light, known as "Big Red". Smaller beaches along Lake Michigan are present but not well marked. Public accesses are frequent along dead-end streets bordering the shoreline.
The city's primary shopping district is centered along 8th Street, the city's main street downtown.
The 8th Street business district features a thermal snow-melting system which uses cooling water from the local electric plant. In 1988, the city rebuilt the entire street and sidewalk system, installing the thermal pipes underneath. The system will melt up to an inch an hour down to 15°.[36]
The City of Holland uses a council/manager form of government. The day-to-day operations of the city are under the supervision of the city manager and their staff. The city manager is responsible for selecting all department heads, preparation of the budget and supervision of all employees through their appointments.
The city manager serves at the direction of the mayor and city council which are elected positions. The current city manager is Keith Van Beek, former Ottawa County deputy county administrator, who was appointed in February 2018 by the city council. Soren Wolff served as the city manager from 1988 until his retirement in the Fall 2011. Soren previously served the city as assistant city manager in the mid-1970s and had a street named after him near Fairbanks Avenue and 13th Street, which is the main entrance to Smallenburg Park and many of Hope College's athletic facilities. The current assistant city manager is Matt VanDyken, the former IT director for the city.
Holland's city charter requires a mayor and eight city council members. The mayor serves a two-year term, and two at-large council members and six ward council members each serve four-year terms.
The current mayor is Nathan Bocks, a local attorney elected in November 2019.
The city also is served by regularly scheduled Amtrak service (the Pere Marquette) east to Grand Rapids and west to Chicago with connections to all points east and west.
The city and surrounding area is served by the MAX (Macatawa Area Express) transportation system, which offers both on-demand and high-speed bus service, linking different parts of the city as well as commercial, medical and government locations outside the city. This service evolved from the former "Dial-A-Ride Transportation" (DART) system.
The channel between Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan allows pleasure craft and commercial boats, even bulk freighters, to access Holland's docks to unload coal, salt and iron scrap.
Media
Newspapers
Holland Sentinel, Holland's local daily newspaper/online edition
Grand Rapids Press, formerly maintained a Holland newsroom and circulation office
Pete Hoekstra, U.S. Congressman from Michigan's 2nd Congressional District, 1993–2011; chairman of House Intelligence Committee, 2004–2007; ambassador to the Netherlands
Rhoda Janzen, Hope College professor, author of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
^"Station: Holland Tulip City AP, MI". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
Kirk, Gordon W. Jr. The promise of American life : social mobility in a nineteenth-century immigrant community, Holland, Michigan, 1847-1894 (1978) online
Michael Douma (2010). "Memory and the Myth of Albertus C. Van Raalte: How Holland, Michigan, Remembers Its Founding Father". Michigan Historical Review. 36 (2): 37–61. doi:10.1353/mhr.2010.0039. ISSN2327-9672.
Swierenga, Robert. Holland Michigan: From Dutch Colony to Dynamic City (3 vol. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. and Van Raalte Press, 2014)
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