Zeeland ( ) is a city in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,719 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the western edge of Zeeland Charter Township. It is about 5 miles (8 km) east of Holland and 24 miles (38 km) southwest of Grand Rapids. Its name is taken from the Dutch province of Zeeland.

History

In 1847, nearly 500 Dutch citizens sailed for America ostensibly to achieve religious freedom, although their decision to immigrate was probably also influenced by other factors, such as dire economic conditions in their home province of Zeeland, Netherlands and their opposition to modern scientific and social advances of the time.

The emigrants were led by James Van de Luyster, 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 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 of that year. The total number of settlers was 457.

thumb|250px|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.

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

The village officially became a city in 1907. There was a two-story brick kindergarten building, a two-storey 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

thumb|Aerial photo of Zeeland in 2009

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The town itself is located on a hill, giving the city a higher elevation compared to the surrounding township land. Much of the outlying areas contain farmland and forest.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Zeeland had a population of 5,719. The population density was . The median age was 39.7 years; 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.9% were 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,382 households in Zeeland, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.4% were married-couple households, 14.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

  • Roosevelt Elementary School
  • New Groningen Elementary School
  • Quincy Elementary School
  • Adams Elementary School
  • Woodbridge Elementary School
  • Lincoln Elementary School
  • Cityside Middle School
  • Creekside Middle School
  • Zeeland East High School
  • Zeeland West High School
  • Innocademy Charter School (K-8)
  • iCademy Global (9-12)
  • Ottawa Area Intermediate School District
  • National Heritage Academies (Eagle Crest Charter Academy)

;Private schools

  • Zeeland Christian School

;School issues

  • In 2012, Zeeland school district superintendent Dave Barry was accused of plagiarism for using text from a blog post by Mark Rutherford without giving credit. The school board decided to punish Barry by suspending him for two weeks without pay. Barry said he respected the board's decision and promised it would not happen again, saying that he had "fallen short of the mark." Barry also said that this was not the only time he has taken credit for someone's work, but the number of times he has done so has not been released to the public.
  • Prior to the release of the 1998 album Follow the Leader by the band Korn, Gretchen Plewes, a Zeeland high school assistant principal, said in an interview for a Michigan newspaper that the group's music is "indecent, vulgar, obscene and intends to be insulting" after giving a student, Eric VanHoven, a one-day suspension for wearing a shirt with the Korn logo on it. WKLQ was filmed giving away hundreds of free Korn T-shirts, which were donated by the band, outside the school. Ottawa County policemen helped hand out shirts as well. Korn filed a cease and desist order against Plewes and the school district for their comments. They also threatened a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, but both actions were dropped due to the band members' personal lives.

Industry

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

  • Plascore (Honeycomb Manufacturing)
  • Herman Miller (Office furnishings/equipment and modern furniture for the home)
  • Howard Miller (Clocks and furniture)
  • Gentex (Automotive and aerospace)
  • Mead Johnson (Baby formula)
  • ITW Drawform
  • Reckitt has a manufacturing plant in Zeeland as well (Consumer goods)

Transportation

Along with its surrounding area, Zeeland 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.

Media

Newspapers

  • The Zeeland Record - The local newspaper

Radio

  • WHTC - Real News Now on 1450 WHTC and The New 99 7 FM
  • WYVN - 92 7 The Van - Classic Hits for Holland and the Lakeshore 92.7 FM
  • WTHS - Hope College Radio Station 89.9 FM

Sports achievements

  • 1987, 1989–1991, 1994 Girl's Class B State Swimming and Diving Champions.
  • 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. - MVP Joe Leal
  • 2006 Christopher Hodge becomes Zeeland's first male competitive cheerleader. He leads the Zeeland East Chix to first Division 2 State Championship
  • 2011 Division 4 State Football Champions. Zeeland West Dux
  • 2013 Division 3 State Football Champions. Zeeland West Dux
  • 2015 Division 3 State Football Champions. Zeeland West Dux
  • 2024 Division 3 State Football Champions. Zeeland West Dux

Notable people

  • Kathy Arendsen, softball player and coach
  • M. R. DeHaan, Bible teacher, founder of the Radio Bible Class.
  • Paul de Kruif, microbiologist and author of popular scientific works, including the best-seller Microbe Hunters (1926)
  • D. J. DePree, first president of Herman Miller
  • Willard Ames De Pree, career American diplomat and the former United States Ambassador to Bangladesh and Mozambique.
  • Anthony Diekema, President of Calvin College from 1976 to 1995.
  • 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.
  • Renae Geerlings, actress
  • Hans Andrew Hansen, American plant breeder
  • Ed Hendricks, pitcher in Major League Baseball.
  • Bill Huizenga, Congressman for the 2nd District of Michigan
  • Jim Kaat, Retired MLB pitcher and member of the baseball Hall of Fame
  • Chris Kapenga, member of the Wisconsin State Senate
  • Donald Kroodsma, American author and ornithologist, one of the world's leading experts on the science of birdsong.
  • Tom Meyer, Republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives
  • Thomas J. Plewes, retired lieutenant general in the United States Army.
  • Jay Riemersma, former NFL tight end for the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers and former coach for the Zeeland Chix football team.
  • Ron Schipper, American football coach and college athletics administrator.
  • George Van Peursem, American politician from the State of Michigan.
  • Eugene van Tamelen, organic chemist who is especially recognized for his contributions to bioorganic chemistry.
  • Jan M. Van Tamelen, American art director
  • Edward Wichers, US chemist and Associate Director of the National Bureau of Standards from 1958-62.
  • Dylan Graham, Music therapist famous for using the music of Fela Kuti to induce movement in comatose patients

References

  • City of Zeeland official website