Can anyone tell me about Holland? (Lansing, Muskegon: vacation, hospital, college)

[Siberia]

Originally Posted by T6414

The bad thing about Holland for me, is the traffic. It gets backed up on 31 around 4 or 5. (not as bad as the east side of the state by Novi.. by any means) The area has just grown so much in the past 10-15 years.

A 20 year study occurred...more like dragged out and cost taxpayers millions, until it was too late financially to connect the Interstate South of Holland with the Interstate North of Grand Haven. Cheapness won...and this strech of highway now has the traffic issues of cities 10 years ahead in population grown. I another 20 years, instead of taking 20 minutes to travel North through Holland, it will take 40 or more. And with SAMS club and other big businesses too close to the highway, the Interstate idea is not feasible anymore. Definately a short term "GM/FORD" sort of financial brainfart that will cost the city dearly in the future...

As far as Holland Department of Transportation goes, they are CHEAP beyond belief. Rural areas across America with popluations making 1/5 the average incomes get their medians mowed 3-4 times a year, yet in Holland...well twice is a long shot. Amazing, being that even during Tulip time the city doesnt' even mow the medians. Which is really crazy as they hire $8/hour kids yet have purchased $80,000 air conditioned tractors that get used a couple times a year...what a waste. And the trash pickup...well if it ain't free from the general public, the local government isn't going to drop a dime to pick up the mess...let alone put a few free prisoners on the job like other states do.

Coming from a different state decades ago, what struck me as stuborn and cheap was the inability of the city of Holland to delay the lights on US 31. 3-5 people killed a year for decades, and I would email, write, and beg the local DOT to delay the lights like neighboring Indiana and Illinois did years ago. I got nowhere with my efforts, yet finally they listened to a survey they themselves gave out to serveral local businesses...and added delayed lights (not green to red lights....instead, red for one direction, with a few seconds of yellow in the other direction). After the change, amazingly....virtually nobody has been "murdered" since...and when I say murdered, I mean ignorant, cheap, stubborn local DOT officials played an important role. Many lives could have been saved much sooner, IMHO...

Sorry for the rant, but I was amazed at the extreme cheapness of the city, given that the average income is 3-4 times higher than many areas that I have visited which had better looking road, medians, and environment in general. I guess if you didn't grow up knowing different, you wouldn't exactly relate to the situation in Holland, Michigan...

[allbusiness]

You know not of what you speak.

The city has NO maintenance jurisdiction over any portion of the US 31 corridor, the timing of stoplights, mowing the median, etc. This is a state trunk line and is controlled, maintained and serviced by the state of Michigan. The same goes for Chicago Drive and most of M-40. In fact, US-31 from 16th street north is all in Holland Township, not even in the city of Holland. How wrong can you be?

Areas that are controlled by the city are generally clean, well groomed and blossoming with annual and perennial flowers. The city resurfaces or rebuilds 5% of it's entire street system every year. Plus the city uses work crews from the Ottawa County Jail all summer long to help with the grooming of public lands. Again, something you say the city doesn't do.

"3-5 people killed a year for decades" in the city of Holland, as you claim, is no just an exaggeration, but a downright lie!

Your entire post is nothing but misinformation and inaccuracies.

We agree on ONE thing. The bypass from South of Holland to Grand Haven should proceed as quickly as possible.

[suydam]

Originally Posted by Siberia

As far as Holland Department of Transportation goes, they are CHEAP beyond belief. Rural areas across America with popluations making 1/5 the average incomes get their medians mowed 3-4 times a year, yet in Holland...well twice is a long shot. Amazing, being that even during Tulip time the city doesnt' even mow the medians. Which is really crazy as they hire $8/hour kids yet have purchased $80,000 air conditioned tractors that get used a couple times a year...what a waste. And the trash pickup...well if it ain't free from the general public, the local government isn't going to drop a dime to pick up the mess...let alone put a few free prisoners on the job like other states do.

Uh...just to echo the sentiment posted above, there is no "Holland Dept of Tranportation" that mows medians on US-31.

Holland Streets Division - Streets Division | City of Holland, Michigan

What's more, the vast majority of US-31 lies outside the city limits where the Holland Streets Division would never go even if they did oversee the corridor. The only parts that lie within city limits are from 24th street to 48th street...and that's not the stretch you're writing about:
http://gis.ci.holland.mi.us/pdf/hollandregional.pdf

[mom2jacksamnhenry]

Holland is a nice area, but there is a bit of "white flight" going on right now with families moving from Holland to the Zeeland area, where the schools are better. Zeeland is the neighboring city and is still small-town conservative. Schools are great. Downtown is smaller than Holland, but cute. Alcohol started being served in town again just this week

[bonds77]

I'm an "outsider" in Holland, and, some of this is true and some is not.

We were excited to move here because of the state park, nice downtown, proximity to GR, South Haven and Grand Haven. Great place to raise kids. Nice small town atmosphere.

There is an outsider feeling though. You DO get asked about your Church and last name. If you're into nightlife, this is not the place for you. It's one of those things you can't quite put your finger on- but after 4 plus years, we still feel like we don't quite belong.

That said, I'd rather raise my new son here than in a lot of places in Michigan. There is some snobbery about going to the private Holland Christian schools- if you are only interested in public, Hamilton is the only way to go.

[darstar]

I must say , after reading all the post , that I too have experienced a stand off ishness in Holland. I live south quite a few miles , and , most of the people around here prefer to go to Kalamazoo for shopping and entertainment. The distance is about the same ether way.
In fact , Holland hardly ever comes up in conversation around here , you would not ever know it exists. Don't know what it is , but , something about Holland , we all feel the same.
Maybe , that being Dutch, is what its all about. No van in my name......just a proud German Heritage , as is the greater parts of Michigan..... I have seen numbers , and it still maybe true , that Ottawa county is the wealthiest county in the state . Those Dutchmen know how to pinch a penny........not all bad , in this day and age.......

[deslok]

Well heck, I thought someone feeling like an outsider in Holland was completely appauling, insulting, and ignorant? I guess not. =)

[allbusiness]

Again, these last couple of posts are showing more narrow-mindedness than I (a non-Dutch Hollander!) see every day living in Holland!

[deslok]

And again, people living in Holland are aghast whenever someone might possibly feel like Holland isn't the greatest place on earth. Interpretation of experiences is not narrow-minded thinking.

[jenner5298]

Originally Posted by bonds77

I'm an "outsider" in Holland, and, some of this is true and some is not.

We were excited to move here because of the state park, nice downtown, proximity to GR, South Haven and Grand Haven. Great place to raise kids. Nice small town atmosphere.

There is an outsider feeling though. You DO get asked about your Church and last name. If you're into nightlife, this is not the place for you. It's one of those things you can't quite put your finger on- but after 4 plus years, we still feel like we don't quite belong.

That said, I'd rather raise my new son here than in a lot of places in Michigan. There is some snobbery about going to the private Holland Christian schools- if you are only interested in public, Hamilton is the only way to go.

I agree!! I have lived here for just over a year now. I have NEVER felt like I belong. We actually bought a house towards Allegan because I work in Holland but did NOT want to live here. Everyday at work I am reminded in some way that I am not Dutch, I was not born/raised here and I do not go to a CRC. I try and tell friends/family about this but no one understands. It's really something you can't put your finger on but I am SOOOOOOO glad there are others who can relate.