Nederland, Texas
| Nederland, Texas | |||
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| — City — | |||
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| Motto: "Programmed for Progress" | |||
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| Coordinates: 29°58′23″N 93°59′48″W / 29.97306°N 93.99667°WCoordinates: 29°58′23″N 93°59′48″W / 29.97306°N 93.99667°W | |||
| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Texas |
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| County | Jefferson | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Council-Manager | ||
| • City Council | Mayor R. A. "Dick" Nugent Billy Neal Jeff Ortiz Don Albanese Bert Rogers |
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| • 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. Also referred to as the "Golden Triangle Area, due the triangular shape the bordering cities make.
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[edit] Geography
Nederland is located at 29°58′23″N 93°59′48″W / 29.97306°N 93.99667°W (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.
[edit] History
Nederland was founded in 1897 by Dutch[4] settlers (Nederland is the Dutch name for "The Netherlands" or "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 bears its English and Dutch street names still 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 or Houston/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 stablized 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, "no tropical cyclone in the historic record has ever reached this intensity at a faster rate near landfall" reported by the National Hurricane Center. The eye of the hurricane passed over the city.
On September 13, 2008, Nederland was hit by hurricane-force winds of Hurricane Ike.
[edit] Historical Buildings Past/Present
The Orange Hotel was built in November of 1897 , was eventually abandoned and torn down around 1912.
Nederland Pharmacy- opened in 1902
Langham Elementary was originally built where the current elementary's playground. The current Langham building was built in 1940.
Setzers Hardware was built in 1898 as a rice storage facility and still stands today.
[edit] 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 in the downtown area.
The Le 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 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]
[edit] Economy
According to the City of Nederland's 2010 Annual Financial Report[6] the top employers in the city are:
| Ranking | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nederland Independent School District | 674 |
| 2 | Equistar Chemical | 275 |
| 3 | Phillpott Motors | 215 |
| 4 | Time Warner | 132 |
| 5 | City of Nederland | 104 |
| 6 | Promise Hospital Healthcare | 76 |
| 7 | Sun Oil Co. | 69 |
| 8 | Unocal | 65 |
| 9 | Air Liquide | 40 |
[edit] 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, 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.7% of the population.
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.
[edit] Education
[edit] 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 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]
[edit] Colleges and Universities
[edit] Lamar University
Lamar University is located in nearby Beaumont, Texas and offers four-year degrees in multiple deciplines, including Engineering, Business, Nursing, Art and Science.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Lamar Port-Arthur
Lamar Port-Arthur is located in Port Arthur,Texas south of Nederland and offers two-year degrees with degree paths leading to four-year degrees at Lamar University.
[edit] Government and Infrastructure
[edit] City Government
Nederland is a Council-Manager system . Current City officials are:
Mayor: R. A. "Dick" Nugent
Mayor Pro Tem: Bert Rogers
Councilmember : Billy Neal
Councilmember : Talmadge Austin
Councilmember : dMac Daddy
City Manager : Christopher Duque
[edit] State Government
Alan Ritter : State Representative for District 21, District office is located in Nederland.
Tommy Williams: State Representative for District 4, Based in the Woodlands, Texas
[edit] US Government
Ted Poe: United States Representative for the 2nd District of Texas
Kay Bailey Hutchison United States Senator
John Cornyn United States Senator
The United States Postal Service Nederland Post Office is located at 223 North 14th Street.[9]
[edit] Transportation
[edit] 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 I 10.
Texas 347 runs along the east side of Nederland from Port Arthur to Beaumont and merges with US 69/287/96.
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FM 365 runs along the south side of Nederland from Port Neches to Winnie and merges with I 10.
[edit] Air Travel
Nederland is served by the Southeast Texas Regional Airport located on the west side of the city. This airport serves as a link to airports in Houston and Dallas.
[edit] Natives
- Clay Buchholz, professional baseball player for Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox
- Davy Arnaud, professional soccer player for Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards
- 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
[edit] References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ / "WT Block.com March 2010"
- ^ [1], Nederland Heritage Festival website
- ^ [2] 2010 City of Nederland Financial Report
- ^ "American Fact Finder". http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1&prodType=table. Retrieved 8-11-2011.
- ^ Nederland ISD Webpage
- ^ "Post Office Location - NEDERLAND." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
[edit] External links
- City Home Page
- Nederland, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
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