Zeeland, Michigan

Zeeland, Michigan
—  City  —
Location of Zeeland within Ottawa County, Michigan
Coordinates: 42°48′45″N 86°01′07″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Ottawa
Government
• Mayor	Lester Hoogland
Area
• City	3.0 sq mi (7.8 km2)
• Land	3.0 sq mi (7.8 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	649 ft (198 m)
Population (2009)
• City	5,465
• Density	1,927.7/sq mi (744.6/km2)
• Metro	1,306,768 (Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland MSA)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	49464
Area code(s)	616
FIPS code	26-89260
GNIS feature ID	1616917
Website	http://www.ci.zeeland.mi.us/

Zeeland ( /ˈziːlɨnd/ ZEE-lənd) is a city in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,805 at the 2000 census. The city is located at the western edge of Zeeland Charter Township which is politically independent. Its name is derived from the Dutch province of Zeeland. As of the 2009 census estimates, the population was 5,465.

History

In 1847, nearly 500 Dutch citizens sailed for America ostensibly to achieve religious freedom. However, an alternative explanation was their opposition to modern scientific and social advances, such contraception, vaccination, insurance, chemical fertilizers, and their failure to thrive in their home province of (Zeeland, Netherlands).

The emigrants were led by Jannes van de Luijster, a wealthy landowner who sold his holdings in the Netherlands to advance money for the members to pay their debts and buy passage to America. Their settlement, some 16,000 acres (65 km²) of land once occupied by the Odawa people, was named after their home province of Zeeland.

Van de Luyster arranged for three ships to sail for the United States. He came on the first ship, arriving on June 27, 1847. He was followed by the Steketee group on July 4, and Reverend Van Der Meulen’s group on August 1. The total number who came was 457.

Dutch settlements in Michigan.

The first building was a church. The town of Zeeland was platted in 1849, and the school district was organized the following year.

Close to twenty-five years later, Zeeland had already acquired a sawmill, a wagon factory, blacksmith shops, grocery stores, and a post office.

The village officially became a city in 1907 with a population of almost 3,000. There was a two-story brick kindergarten building, a two-story brick grade school, and a brick house building. The city also had four furniture factories, one large manufacturing plant, and several mills and smaller manufacturing industries.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²), of which 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²) is land and 0.33% is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,805 people, 2,283 households, and 1,490 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,927.7 per square mile (744.6/km²). There were 2,389 housing units at an average density of 793.3 per square mile (306.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.90% White, 0.59% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.10% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.63% of the population.

There were 2,283 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 83.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,611, and the median income for a family was $53,227. Males had a median income of $35,288 versus $26,913 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,801. About 2.8% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Zeeland West High School and athletic fields

K-12 public schools

• Zeeland Public Schools
• Zeeland East High School
• Zeeland West High School
• Ottawa Area Intermediate School District
• National Heritage Academies (Eagle Crest Charter School)

Private schools

• Zeeland Christian School

Higher education

• Hope College
• Grand Valley State University

Industry

Zeeland is home to several world renowned companies. Those in the city of Zeeland include:

• Plascore (Honeycomb Manufacturing)
• Herman Miller (Office equipment and modern furniture for the home)
• Howard Miller (Clocks and furniture)
• Gentex (Automotive and aerospace)
• Mead Johnson (Baby formula)

Sports achievements

2003 Class C State Lacrosse Champions. Zeeland defeated Plymouth-Canton Chiefs 12-9. Mike DeJonge MVP.

• 2006 Division 4 State Football Champions. Zeeland West Dux defeated the Coopersville Broncos 22-0.
• 1968 Doug Veneberg threw a no-hitter for the Zeeland Chix
• 2011 Division 4 State Football Champions. Zeeland West Dux

Notable residents

• Paul de Kruif, science fiction author
• Jim Kaat, former All Star pitcher
• D. J. DePree, First president of Herman Miller
• Ron Essink of the Seattle Seahawks went to Zeeland High School and Grand Valley State University, in Allendale, Michigan. He now works for the city of Zeeland.
• Jay Riemersma, former NFL tight end for the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers and former coach for the Zeeland Chix football team.

External links

• City of Zeeland
• Feel The Zeel