Nederland

Nederland, Texas
—  City  —
Seal
Motto: "Programmed for Progress"
Location of Nederland, Texas
Coordinates: 29°58′23″N 93°59′48″W / 29.97306°N 93.99667°W / 29.97306; -93.99667Coordinates: 29°58′23″N 93°59′48″W / 29.97306°N 93.99667°W / 29.97306; -93.99667
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Jefferson
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• City Council	Mayor R. A. "Dick" Nugent Billy Neal Halmadge Austin Don Albanese Bert Rogers
• City Manager	Christopher Duque
Area
• Total	5.7 sq mi (14.8 km2)
• Land	5.7 sq mi (14.7 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	16 ft (5 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	17,547
• Density	3,063.2/sq mi (1,182.7/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	77627
Area code(s)	409
FIPS code	48-50580[1]
GNIS feature ID	1363634[2]
Website	www.ci.nederland.tx.us

Nederland is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,547 at the 2010 census.

The city is adjacent to the Southeast Texas Regional Airport in Port Arthur, which serves the nearby cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. Nederland is also a part of an area known as "the Golden Triangle," which comprises Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange.

Geography

Nederland is located at 29°58′23″N 93°59′48″W / 29.97306°N 93.99667°W / 29.97306; -93.99667 (29.973113, -93.996715)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (15 km²), of which, 5.7 square miles (15 km²) of it is land and 0.18% is water.

History

Nederland was founded in 1897 by Dutch^[4] settlers (Nederland which literally translates to "Lowland" (non-plural) is the Dutch name for the Netherlands which means "low lands") as a repayment for financial services of Dutch bankers who financed the Kansas City Southern railroad line that runs through the center of the city. The more prominent families were named Rienstra, Doornbos and Van Oostrom, and their descendants still live in the area today. Tradition says they were attracted to the flat coastal terrain that reminded them of their homeland (although the heat most certainly did not). The downtown area continues to bear its English and Dutch street names today.

Nederland's early economy was driven by rice and dairy farming. However, the depression of 1907 and overproduction caused the rice industry in the town to collapse. Many Dutch settlers moved away from the area during this time, but a small percentage remained. After the Spindletop gusher discovery of 1901 and the establishment of the Sun Oil terminal near Nederland, the town became a residential community for the workers of the nearby oil terminals.

Nederland became incorporated as a township in 1940. The surrounding larger cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange came to be known as the Golden Triangle. In the 1940s and 1950s, the Port of Beaumont was as important as New Orleans, Houston, or Galveston, and Nederland thrived as a result.

The refineries also attracted a large population of blue-collar laborers into the area. The area drew particularly heavily from southern Louisiana, and a strong Cajun flair is evident throughout the community. With the decline of oil prices in the 1980s, the local economy suffered and Nederland experienced slight population losses, but has stabilized in the late 1990s and 2000s.

On September 23, 2005, Nederland was hit by Hurricane Rita, a category 3 hurricane.

On September 13, 2007, Nederland was hit by Hurricane Humberto, a category 1 hurricane. The eye of the hurricane passed over the city.

On September 13, 2008, Nederland was hit by hurricane-force winds of Hurricane Ike, a category 2 hurricane at the time.

Historical Buildings

The Orange Hotel was built in November 1897, was eventually abandoned and torn down around 1912.

The Nederland Pharmacy was opened in 1902, and closed in 2002. A tanning salon now occupies the pharmacy building.

Langham Elementary School was originally built where the current elementary's playground currently stands. The current Langham Elementary School building was built in 1940.

Setzer's Hardware was built in 1898 as a rice storage facility and still stands today.

Attractions

The Dutch Windmill Museum is an authentic replica of a Dutch windmill and was created to honor the settlers from Holland that founded Nederland. It was built in 1969 and contains donated items from Nederland's history. The museum is located in Tex Ritter Park on Boston Avenue.

The La Maison De Acadiens house is a replica of houses used by early French settlers of the area, many who still have descendants living in the region. It is located next to the Dutch Windmill Museum.

The Nederland Heritage Festival began on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the town in 1973 as part of the city's Diamond Jubilee and has become known area wide and attracts over 100,000 people over the week of festivities, and includes multiple events during the week.^[5]

Economy

According to the City of Nederland's 2010 Annual Financial Report^[6] the top employers in the city are:

Demographics

As of the census^[7] of 2010, there were 17,547 people, 7,122 households, and 4,944 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,063.2 people per square mile (1,182.2/km²). There were 7,226 housing units at an average density of 1,270.5 per square mile (490.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.8% White, 10.7% Hispanic or Latino, 4% African American, 0.33% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 3.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.

There were 7,122 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,231, and the median income for a family was $61,149. Males had a median income of $43,691 versus $25,457 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,285. About 5.4% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Primary and Secondary Schools

The city is served by the Nederland Independent School District.^[8] The schools in Nederland include four elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school.

The four elementary schools are:

• Langham Elementary School
• Helena Park Elementary School
• Highland Park Elementary School
• Hillcrest Elementary School

The two middle schools are:

• C. O. Wilson Middle School
• Central Middle School

The one high school is Nederland High School. [3]

City Library

The City of Nederland is serviced by the Marion and Ed Hughes Public Library. The library is located at currently located at 2712 Nederland Avenue. The library was formerly located at 1903 Atlanta Avenue, and was named the D. Bob Henson Memorial Library, after the former City Manager that was killed in an accident.

Colleges and Universities

Lamar University

Lamar University is located in the nearby city of Beaumont, Texas and offers four-year degrees in multiple subjects, including engineering, economics, business, nursing, art and science.

Lamar Institute of Technology

Lamar Institute of Technology offers two-year degrees and certifications for the region, as well as paths to four-year degrees at other universities.

Lamar State College - Port Arthur

Lamar State College - Port Arthur is located south of Nederland in the city of Port Arthur, Texas, and offers two-year degrees with degree paths leading to four-year degrees at Lamar University.

Media

Television

Newspapers

Nederland is served by two newspapers:

-The Beaumont Enterprise serves the Golden Triangle and the surrounding area.

-The Port Arthur News delivers seven days a week and serves Nederland,Port Neches, and Port Arthur primarily. The newspaper is owned by CNHI and is the sister newspaper of the Orange Leader.

Radio

Government and Infrastructure

City Government

Nederland has a council-manager system of government.

Current city officials are:

State Government

Alan Ritter : State Representative for District 21. His district office is located in Nederland.

Tommy Williams: State Representative for District 4. His district office is located in the Woodlands.

US Government

Ted Poe is the representative of the 2nd District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives.

Kay Bailey Hutchison is one of two Senators representing Texas in the United States Congress.

John Cornyn is one of two Senators representing Texas in the United States Congress.

The United States Postal Service Nederland Post Office is located at 223 North 14th Street.^[9]

Transportation

Road travel

Nederland is served by US 69/US 287/US 96, SH 347 and FM 365.

Approximately 15 miles north is Interstate 10, which serves as a main east-west corridor from Florida to California.

US 69/287/96 runs along the west side of Nederland, from Port Arthur to Beaumont and merges with Interstate 10.

Texas 347 runs along the east side of Nederland from Port Arthur to Beaumont and merges with US 69/287/96. | FM 365 runs along the south side of Nederland from Port Neches to Winnie and merges with Interstate 10.

Air Travel

Nederland is served by the Jack Brooks Regional Airport, formally named the Southeast Texas Regional Airport located on the west side of the city. The airport has daily flights to Houston's Intercontinental Airport.

Natives

• Clay Buchholz, professional baseball player for Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox
• Davy Arnaud, professional soccer player for Major League Soccer's Montreal Impact
• Walt Davis, 1952 Olympics gold medalist in the high jump
• Kendrick Perkins, professional basketball player of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder
• Bum Phillips, former NFL head coach whose son Wade Phillips was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys
• Tex Ritter (January 12, 1905 – January 2, 1974), American country singer and actor and the father of actor John Ritter
• Lance Watson, professional soccer player for Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards
• Brian Sanches, pitcher for the MLB's Florida Marlins
• John Varley (author), Hugo and Nebula award-winning science-fiction author

References

External links

• City Home Page
• Nederland, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online

v t e Municipalities and communities of Jefferson County, Texas, United States County seat: Beaumont Cities Beaumont Bevil Oaks China Groves Nederland Nome Port Arthur‡ Port Neches Taylor Landing CDPs Central Gardens Unincorporated communities Beauxart Gardens Dowling Fannett Hamshire LaBelle Viterbo Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties