Zoetermeer welcomes 130,000th resident
Zoetermeer has welcomed its 130,000th resident. A special milestone that symbolizes the city's growth over the past decades.
Mayor Michel Bezuijen paid Silvana and her children, Cejé, Zoey, Yvana and Destin, a visit in the Meerzicht neighborhood. As a warm welcome, the mayor presented the family with a certificate, a bouquet of flowers and the booklet "The 100 things you should know about your city as a Zoetermeer resident", full of well-known and lesser-known facts about Zoetermeer.
Silvana is happy with her new place to live: "Before we moved here, I used to walk in the Westerpark. You should live here so beautiful in the green, I thought then. And now we live here!"
"Zoetermeer is now a big city, but it still has a warm, almost village atmosphere. Our neighborhoods and districts each have their own character and people here look out for each other," said Mayor Bezuijen, "I am therefore convinced that Silvana and her children will soon feel at home in their new place of residence."
New Town Zoetermeer
In the 1960s, Zoetermeer was designated as a growth center to absorb the housing pressure in The Hague. Since then, the city rapidly developed into one of the most famous New Towns in the Netherlands. What once began as a modest butter village has grown into a modern city with now more than 130,000 residents.
Striking green
Zoetermeer combines the advantages of a large city - with amenities, accessibility and employment - with the village feel that many residents experience as unique. The city is also remarkably green: parks such as Westerpark, Buytenpark and Balijbos offer space for relaxation in the middle of the city.
Challenges
At the same time, this rapid growth also brings challenges. Many neighborhoods from the 1970s and 1980s are in need of renewal, and in some neighborhoods, facilities no longer adequately meet the needs of residents. Zoetermeer is working together with six other growth centers in the New Town Alliance to address these challenges and has recently appealed to the government to do so.
Mayor Bezuijen: "We are proud of what Zoetermeer has become, a city with ambition and a warm heart. By continuing to invest in neighborhoods, facilities and connection, we ensure that our city remains livable and attractive in the future. With the future plans now in place, Zoetermeer can grow into a city of 150,000 inhabitants."
