Living in Holland, Michigan:
Tips for Moving and Visiting

Holland is the home of one of America’s largest annual flower festivals! The city plants millions of tulip bulbs in fall, and visitors enjoy the colorful flowers in May each year.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, commonly referred to by many radio stations, singers, and celebrities as “Beer City USA,” has many suburbs, each with its own unique story and culture. The suburb of Holland, Michigan fully encapsulates the unique history of the Dutch immigrants and blends that history into the modern life of the town.

The Dutch culture can be seen best in early May during the “Tulip Time” festival. The reds, yellows, pinks, and whites of the tulips dot the green landscape of the parks and towns for miles and highlight the borders of the rustic, brown Dutch windmills. Many of these windmills stand on little mounds of dirt, similar to the dikes used by the Dutch to reclaim their farmland from the sea in the Netherlands. With these sights as a backdrop, the atmosphere is carnivalesque.

Perhaps Holland’s greatest pride is its thriving downtown, which features breweries and restaurants, a variety of shops, a seasonal farmers’ market, and the liberal arts school Hope College. A newcomer to Holland will quickly discover the rich Dutch heritage, as the main attraction of the year, Tulip Time, centers around tulips, windmills, and Dutch costumes. Although spring and summer bring sunshine, humidity, and a variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, winter is often cold, long, and cloudy.