The Holland area is a very different place than it was when the Ottawa paddled their canoes to shore. But one constant, however, has been no matter how or when you arrive, it continues to be a beautiful and prosperous place to establish roots.

The area's moderate climate, vast forests and the fertile soil, and the Lake Michigan, inland lake and river trade routes, attracted generations of Native American settlements to the Lake Macatawa area. In the mid-1800s, those attributes also attracted the Rev. Albertus Christiaan Van Raalte and his congregation of 60 Dutch Protestants.

Van Raalte and his followers were among hundreds of thousands of European immigrants fleeing famine, taxation and religious persecution, risking the dangers of an Atlantic ship crossing in search of opportunities in the New World.

The Van Raalte colonists built log cabins and huts made of hemlock boughs, and their little settlement was the foundation of what is today Holland, Michigan. They were followed by similar groups of Dutch immigrants, who settled on land purchased from the U.S. government or Ottawa Indians. One group of 425 settlers founded Holland's neighbor, the village of Zeeland, in 1847.

By October, 1847 Holland’s population had grown to 1,700. It continued to grow, especially when two railroads announced they would be extending rails to Holland. The community was incorporated as a city in 1867, but a disastrous fire in 1871 demolished almost all of its buildings.

Holland's hardworking citizens quickly rebuilt their community, replacing structures destroyed in the blaze and adding new shops and homes to meet the demand of even more new residents. Most newcomers were native to the Netherlands, and by the late 1920s Holland's population was 90 percent Dutch.

Throughout the 20th century, Holland’s assets continued to attract new settlers, although the demographics changed to include many of Hispanic, Asian and African heritage. Entering the new millennium, the community continues to welcome a diversity of new residents, businesses, and dreams.