Amstelveen Travel Guide

Amstelveen is a city situated in the province North-Holland (in the Netherlands), south of Amsterdam. It’s area is 44.08 square kilometres, of which water covers 2.30 square kilometres. The ground consists of peat-moor and sea clay.

Inhabitants

On the first of January, 2005 Amstelveen had 79,019 inhabitants, consisting of 37,525 men and 41,4494 women (including children). In the Netherlands, the average age is 38.7; in Amstelven, this is 39.8 years. Moreover, relatively many elderly citizens live in Amstelveen. Of the population 18% are, as it happens, 65 years or older. In the Netherlands nationally, their number is 14%. The number of inhabitants increased in 2005 by 107 persons. This small increase is, among other things, a consequence of little to no house-building activities and rapid increases in ageing in Amstelveen. The number of the elderly in Amstelveen has increased for years: 18% of the Amstelveen population are 65 years or older.

Amstelveen households are rather small: almost 70% of households consist of one or two persons per household. More than 30% of households consist of a family with children. On 1 January 2005 7,439 persons with a nationality other than Dutch lived in Amstelveen.

Japanese for years the largest group, are followed by Americans, Germans and other Western Europeans. The age structure of non-Dutch citizens deviates strongly from the Dutch. People between 25 and the 44 years and children are strongly represented among the expatriates, whereas the elderly are nearly missing.

To enter

On 1 January 2005, 2,177 persons from the municipality were unemployed. Still, the population of Amstelveen is relatively prosperous and spent an average of 29,600 EUR in 2000, which is 3,700 EUR more than Netherlands national average.

Houses and companies The total living accommodation consists of 36,000 houses and 4,415 properties in various buildings, including student apartments, nursing homes and houses for family-replacement. The houses in Amstelveen are of a rather recent construction: some 70% of the houses have been built since 1960.

In Amstelveen, 5,929 companies and institutions are registered. These employ some 40, 166 persons; this means an average of 7 persons per company . Except homes, Amstelveen has built many offices over the past decades,  particularly for trade, banks and insurance and for KLM. Amstelveen is the home of large computer centers and head offices for national and international institutions. Many people who work at Schiphol Airport live in Amstelveen, as Amstelveen is only some kilometres distance from the airport. The proximity of the airport is considered by many companies as a favourable factor when selecting office locations.

Nature and art

Amstelveen has many nature parks: namely Bovenkerkerpolder, de Braak, Broersepark, childrenfarm Elsenhove, Jac.P. Thijssepark, Middelpolder, Ouderkerkerplas and the Amstelveense Poel. The Poel is a part of the Amsterdam Forest that covers an area of 935 hectares .

Art and culture was prominent in Amstelveen last year. The museums received almost 99,000 visitors and the library, with its four establishments, received 725,000 visitors. In 2003, the shows in the Schouwburg Amstelveen hosted 87,253 visitors; in 2004, that figure increased to 96,008 visitors. This means an average of 442 persons per show. Cinema Amstelveen had 18,755 visitors, at 419 shows, an average of 45 visitors per show.

The relatively new pop stage P60 has built a very good name within some years through well planned programming. The number of visitors is thus high. Finally, annual cultural events , such as the Atelierroute, the Town square festival and the book market, bring vibrancy to the city. The art work  which can be found thoughout Amstelveen, is also not to be forgotten : traditional and modern pieces, large and small, these are on display throughout town.

Restaurants and shops

Relatively small hotels have been established i n Amstelveen . In sum, there are 154 rooms available, with 297 beds. In the old village of Amstelveen there are not too many shops. Many have been converted to restaurants. From Argentinian to Indian, from French to Italian. Practically in every district area, Amstelveen has a shopping centre where you can find restaurants. F rom the 1990’ s the centre of Amstelveen was gradually transformed a large so- called "townheart,” with shops to cater to all tastes. Around the town square (Stadshart) there are also restaurants, where everyone can sit outside in the summertime.

Sports

Amstelveen has a large and varied offer to sports fans. The majority of the 236 sporting are composed of sport fields: football, hockey, handball, korfball, softball, rugby and cricket. Furthermore there are swimming pools in Meerkamp, with several pools inside and outside; there are also bicycle train ing places, and you can play golf in the neighboring municipalities in Amsterdam and Haarlemmermeer. These sport accomodations are used by approximately 85 sport associations established in Amstelveen, and also by many individuals. Also, Amstelveen has some top sports players: among other sports some Amstelveen hockey, volleyball and badminton clubs are among the Dutch top teams.

Politics

In the Amstelveen Municipality Council, the VVD is the largest political party, with 10 of the 35 seats. In the college of mayor and aldermen the VVD has not been represented however. CDA, the PvdA, GroenLinks and D66 form the college with the mayor an aldermen. The municipality of Amstelveen employs 798 civil servants.