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Holland, Michigan
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Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River (also known locally as the Black River). The city spans the Ottawa/Allegan county line, with in Ottawa and the remaining in Allegan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 35,048. As of the 2007 Census estimates, the population of the city was 34,339 with an Urbanized Area population of 95,394.
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Encyclopedia
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River (also known locally as the Black River). The city spans the Ottawa/Allegan county line, with in Ottawa and the remaining in Allegan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 35,048. As of the 2007 Census estimates, the population of the city was 34,339 with an Urbanized Area population of 95,394. The city is the largest municipality of the Holland-Grand Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has an estimated population of 261,854 as of July 1,2007.Holland was founded by Dutch Americans, and is in an area that has a large percentage of citizens of Dutch American heritage who live in communities with such Dutch names as Harlem, Zeeland, Vriesland, and Graafschap. It is home to Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, institutions of the Reformed Church in America.
History
Holland was settled in 1847 by Dutch Calvinist separatists, under the leadership of Dr. Albertus van Raalte, who were escaping from persecution in The Netherlands. Van Raalte took the land due to its proximity to the Black River where it streamed to Black Lake (now Lake Macatawa) which, in turn, led to Lake Michigan.
The land was inhabited by the Ottawa who had been on the lake for hundreds of years and welcomed the new Dutch settlers with open arms and assistance. After a cultural clash with the new Dutch, settlers relocated to Northport, Michigan. 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. In 1867, Holland was incorporated as a city with Isaac Cappon being the city's first mayor. The city suffered a major fire on October 8–9, 1871, the same time as the Great Chicago Fire in Illinois and the very deadly Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin. Manistee and Port Huron, Michigan also burned.
Holland was known as the "City of Churches." There are 170 churches in Holland, many of which are with the Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church in North America denominations. The city is the home to the church that kicked off the trend of the What would Jesus do? bracelets in 1989. In 1987, 23-year-old recent Hope College graduate and City Council member Phil Tanis was elected mayor of Holland, becoming its youngest mayor.
Culture
A quasi-Dutch culture is commercially promoted throughout Holland government and majority population. The city is home to the Holland Museum, which selects the Dutch theme for all three museums owned by the city.
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, contains furnishings and relics from the 19th Century. 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. Nearby Holland State Park is a Michigan State Park.
Across the channel is the Holland Harbor Light, known as "Big Red", a lighthouse in Michigan. De Zwaan, an original 250-year-old Dutch windmill, is situated on Windmill Island, a municipal park. Its height is with sails. Holland is also host to the annual Tulipanes Latino Art & Film Festival, which is held to celebrate the Latino contribution to the culture. Holland is home to the world's largest pickle factory. The H.J. Heinz Company has operated the factory at the same location since 1897 and currently processes over 1 million pounds of pickles per day during the green season. Holland was the unlikely birthplace of Slashdot, an influential early Internet weblog created by Hope College student Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda. CNN Money named Holland as one of the top five places to retire in 2006.
Geography
Holland is on the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa. However, the shores of Holland are reserved as private property and tourists could be in violation of the trespassing law if found enjoying the beautiful beaches. Be sure to check where to walk while on the beach in Holland. Only two smaller beaches are allowed for public use, Holland State Park and Tunnel Park. There's also approximately 50m of public access beach space on the western reach of Riley St. This is a popular destination for young people who do not want to pay the access fees of Holland State Park or Tunnel Park. While the picturesque vistas of Tunnel Park vastly overshadow the availabilities of the Riley St. public access, it is nonetheless available for the general public.
Another popular destination, especially in wintertime, is Riley Park, which is approximately of public land about 3 country blocks west of the Riley St. and Butternut Dr. intersection. This location contains several hiking trails (A, B, C, and V—V being curtailed by a recent subdivision development), and several hills that are suitable for amateur snowboarding during the winter.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,048 people, 11,971 households, and 7,924 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,115.3 per square mile (816.7/km²). There were 12,533 housing units at an average density of 756.4/sq mi (292.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.18% White, 2.53% African American, 0.58% Native American, 3.56% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 12.41% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.21% of the population.
There were 11,971 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 26.8% of all households are made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 17.5% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,291, and the median income for a family was $50,316. Males had a median income of $36,339 versus $26,481 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,823. About 6.7% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Background
Mayor
The day to day operations of the city are under the supervision of the City Manager and his/her staff. The City Manager, not the Mayor, is responsible for selecting all department heads, preparation of the budget and supervision of all employees through his/her appointments. The position of Mayor is elected but is very limited in scope and mostly ceremonial with no real supervisory role. The current person of Holland holding ceremonial post is Albert H. McGeehan who was narrowly re-elected, serving the city since 1993. He graduated from Hope College in 1966. In 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush jokingly gave him the nickname, "Mayor Al" and the name has since stuck. McGeehan was first elected to city council in 1977, where he served four terms.
Education
- Higher level academic institutions
- Public Schools
- Holland Public Schools
- West Ottawa Public Schools, which serve the townships that make up Holland's suburban and rural "north side".
- Black River Public School, a charter school with elementary, secondary, and high school students.
- Vanderbilt Charter Academy (K-8).
Tulip Time Festival
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.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, right when the numerous tulips planted around the town are blooming.
In the past, about one million tourists would visit Tulip Time each year to which the community finds innovative ways to enhance self-funded projects. It has been ranked as America's third largest town festival and was named Reader's Digest's best small town festival. 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.
Gallery
Transportation
The city is serviced by two public airports, the recreational Park Township Airport , and the larger, corporate and charter jet Tulip City Airport . Neither facility is served by regularly scheduled commercial carriers. The city is also 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 is served by the MAX (Macatawa Area Express) bus system. Which offers both fixed routes linking different parts of the city as well as large commercial centers outside the city, which is the former Dial-A-Ride system.
The city is served by the following highways:
Media
Newspapers
- Holland Sentinel - Holland's local daily newspaper
- Grand Rapids Press - has maintained a Holland newsroom and circulation office since the 1980s.
- The Flashes - Serves Ottawa and Allegan counties for the Holland Area.
- The Suburban Review - Senior Citizen Newspaper
Radio
- WHTC - Holland's Hometown Station 1450 AM Station
- WYVN - Holland's Home for Classic Rock 92.7FM
- WKLQ - Rockin' The Lakeshore 107.3FM Pure Rock
- WTHS - Hope College Radio Station 89.9FM
- LakeshoreRadio.net - The Lakeshore's Music Station
- WTNR - Thunder 94.5 New Country
Television
- MACTV - Holland Local Television Station
Athletics
Sister cities
Notable residents
- L. Frank Baum (d. 1919), author, composed his most famous work, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, while summering in the resort community of Macatawa.
- Paul de Kruif (d. 1971), science writer ("Microbe Hunters", etc.) retired to Holland and died there in 1971.
- Max DePree, writer; industrialist; former CEO of Herman Miller, Inc.
- Gerrard Wendell Haworth (d. 2006), industrialist; founder of office furniture manufacturer Haworth Company.
- Pete Hoekstra, U.S. Congressman from Michigan's 2nd Congressional District; chairman of House Intelligence Committee, 2004-2007.
- David Myers, psychologist; author.
- Milton J. Nieuwsma, author; filmwriter-producer.
- Erik Prince founder of the private military company Blackwater USA
- Ron Schipper (d. 2006), college football coach; member of College Football Hall of Fame.
- Herman Stegeman (d. 1939), varsity coach and athletics director at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens.
- Sufjan Stevens, singer-songwriter; attended Hope College, details the city in the song "Holland" on his 2003 concept album, Michigan.
- Mary Jeanne van Appledorn, composer, pianist, and educator.
- Andy Van Hekken, professional baseball player.
- Brian Vander Ark, lead singer of band The Verve Pipe born in Holland.
- Taylor Lautner, actor recently in the movie Twilight (2008 film) born in Holland.
- Brian D'Amato, American author and sculptor. Writer of Beauty, and In the Courts of the Sun trilogy.
- James Michael, lead singer of Sixx:AM and producer is originally from Holland, co-wrote Rest In Pieces by Saliva.
Feature films - filmed on location in Holland area
External links
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