Where Oh Where Wednesday: Dutch and Belgian settlements in the US

As we travel around the US, we are amazed at how many places we come across that are settlements of either Dutch or Belgian immigrants. 

DUTCH: New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Connecticut are all states where you will find quite a bit of Dutch influence. You will see it in place names, in family names and even in certain terms used locally. Pelle and Orange City, IA; Holland, MI; and Nederland, TX are all a step further. These places have tulip festivals, full-on Dutch traditions and are - clearly - named after The Netherlands (or Holland). 

BELGIAN: Lord Baltimore - of Baltimore, Maryland fame - was Flemish; Detroit, MI;  Moline, IL  and Namur, WI (near Green Bay) were settled by Walloon’s and still have a large population of Belgians ancestry. As a matter of fact, John Deere tractors can be found in Belgium because Belgian workers in Moline worked at the John Deere factory. 

In Texas the blacksmith in San Antonio was a man from Brussels who married a Flemish immigrant woman. They lived in the Alamo (in the 18th century). Later Belgians settled in San Antonio and established well-known vegetable farms. Scott was born in San Antonio as an American, but now has dual-nationality as a Belgian and American.

We are always amazed at how much influence such small countries can have and have had around the world. If you live in the US, look around. Maybe you will find some Dutch or Belgian influence in the areas where you live. We would be interested to hear what you find.