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Nederland
Nederland is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,422 at the 2000 census.
The city has within its corporate limits the Southeast Texas Regional Airport, which serves the nearby cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur.
Geography
Nederland is located at (29.973113, -93.996715).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.8 km² (5.7 mi²). 14.7 km² (5.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.18% is water.
History
Nederland was founded in 1897 by Dutch settlers. The more prominent families were named Rienstra and Doornbos, and their descendents still live in the area today. Allegedly, they were attracted to the flat coastal terrain that reminded them of their homeland (although the heat and humidity most certainly did not). Nederland's Dutch heritage is commemorated by the Dutch Windmill Museum located on Boston Avenue.
Nederland became incorporated as a township in 1948. Its early economy was agricultural. The Port of Beaumont attracted shipping interests to support the east Texas logging industry. With the discovery of oil at the nearby Spindletop well in Beaumont, Nederland would become the bedroom community for a burgeoning oil refining industry that would grow up in the area. The surrounding larger cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange came to be known as the Golden Triangle. Nederland High School, with its black and gold colors, came to be called the "golden pride of 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, and the community became heavily unionized. The area drew particularly heavily from southern Louisiana, and a strong Cajun flair is evident throughout the community. At the height of the labor union movement, the Golden Triangle was said to have been more virulently pro-union than Detroit, or even Youngstown, OH. Strikes against the unionized refineries were commonplace.
With the decline of oil prices in the 1980s, the local economy suffered and Nederland experienced slight population losses.
Perhaps the most famous person ever to hail from Nederland is country/western singer, Tex Ritter, father of actor John Ritter, also recently deceased. Tex is buried in the Oak Bluff Cemetery in neighboring Port Neches. Members of the Ritter family are still prominent in Nederland, and the name still graces the Ritter Lumber Company.
Basketball player Kendrick Perkins of the NBA's Boston Celtics was born in Nederland.
In September 2005, Nederland suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Rita. Martial law was declared.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,422 people, 6,858 households, and 5,020 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,182.2/km² (3,063.2/mi²). There were 7,226 housing units at an average density of 490.3/km² (1,270.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.51% White, 0.89% African American, 0.33% Native American, 2.02% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.01% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were...
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