America in Nederland in America

This travelbug started its journey in the Netherlands (Nederland) in a town called America. The mission is to get the travelbug in America (USA) in a town called Nederland (Texas)

America in Nederland

America is a town in the Dutch province of Limburg, originated in the late 19th century. It is a part of the municipality of Horst aan de Maas, and lies about 16 km northwest of Venlo. It shares the name with the American continent.

In 2001, the town of America had 991 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 0.21 km², and had 397 residences.^[1] Including the surrounding countryside, America had 2190 inhabitants as of 2006.^[2]

In The Netherlands there is also a town called Amerika, in the province of Drenthe.

A lot of people were being fooled when they were promised that they would get a trip to America;-)

Nederland in America

Nederland was founded in 1897 by Dutch 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.