Does Michigan Have The Most Dutch Ancestry Of Any State?
The old saying goes, "if you ain't Dutch, you ain't much1" West Michigan is VERY Dutch, but how Dutch is the whole state?
Michigan Is A Little Over Four Percent Dutch-American
According to the most recent census data from the 2020 United States census, Michigan is 4.28% Dutch ancestry, with most of that coming from the four counties that make up the West Michigan region, Kent, Ottawa, Allegan and Muskegon Counties.
Some bleed over into Barry and Kalamazoo Counties is apparent according to this Dutch ancestry graphic from the 2020 census tweeted by Jackson.
Missaukee County in Northern Lower Michigan also has a high percentage of Dutch-Americans.
According to Wikipedia, Dutch-Americans in Michigan reached 5.1% of the population in 2010, meaning the number has declined a bit in the past ten years between counts, if this latest able is to be believed.
The surprise to me came form the revelation that Michigan is NOT the highest Dutch-American percentage state in the union. That honor falls to South Dakota.
You can scroll down on the tweet to get a closer look at the West Michigan Dutch breakout, which shows some townships leaning over 50 percent Dutch ancestry.
The Dutch in West Michigan trace their origins to a large group of Dutch Reformed Calvinists who were shown land in the late 19th century surrounding what is now Holland and decided to settle there, rather than moving west to Wisconsin, where they originally planning to immigrate.
So what are the eight most common Dutch names in Grand Rapids? You can find out out here.
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