Almere

Almere is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, Netherlands, located across the IJmeer from Amsterdam. It is the newest city in the Netherlands, built on land that was reclaimed from the IJsselmeer Lake between 1959 and 1968. The first house was completed in 1976, and Almere became an official municipality in 1984.

The city is made up of several areas, including Almere Stad, Almere Buiten, Almere Haven, Almere Hout, Almere Poort, and Almere Pampus. Almere is part of the larger Amsterdam area and is growing quickly. In 2021, it had around 214,715 people, and by April 2025, the population was estimated to be about 230,500. Plans are in place to expand the city to hold up to 350,000 people by the year 2030.

History

The original plans for the IJsselmeerpolders intended to use the land for farming. This changed in the early 1960s. After World War II, more homes were needed for the growing population of Amsterdam, so two new towns were planned in the polders Oostelijk Flevoland and Zuidelijk Flevoland. The town in Oostelijk Flevoland became Lelystad. The town in Zuidelijk Flevoland was first called Zuidweststad, meaning South West City, but in the 1970s it was named Almere after the lake Almere, which was the early medieval name of the Zuiderzee. The first house in Almere was finished in 1976. At that time, Almere was managed by the Openbaar Lichaam Zuidelijke IJsselmeerpolders (Z.IJ.P.), with a Landdrost. In 1984, Almere became an official municipality, a year before the province of Flevoland was established. Originally, Almere was planned to have many town centers, but this idea was later changed to allow neighborhoods like Tussen de Vaarten to be built. The way houses were built also changed over time. In the 1970s, homes were simple and designed to be equal for everyone. But starting in the 1990s, more special and fancy homes were built, especially in the Regenboogbuurt area.

Governance

Local executive

Hein van der Loo (independent) has been mayor of Almere since March 2023, with the municipal council consisting of a coalition of several parties.

List of mayors

• 1984–1986: Han Lammers (PvdA)
• 1986–1993: Cees de Cloe (PvdA)
• 1993–1994: Cees Roozemond (PvdA, acting)
• 1994–1998: Ralph Pans (PvdA)
• 1998–2003: Hans Ouwerkerk (PvdA)
• 2003–2003: Jaap van der Doef (PvdA, acting)
• 2003–2015: Annemarie Jorritsma (VVD)
• 2015–2022: Franc Weerwind (D66)
• 2022–2023: Ank Bijleveld (CDA, acting)
• 2023-current: Hein van der Loo (independent)

Municipal council

The first municipal council was installed on 2 January 1984 in the presence of the then-Minister of the Interior Koos Rietkerk. The council elections took place on 21 September 1983. Prior to 1984 Almere had an Adviesraad, which was chosen every 2 years (1978–1980, 1980–1982, 1982–1984). This Adviesraad was made up of different political parties similar to a local council. On 11 March 1977 the first adviescommissie was elected. It consisted of 5 people that were chosen on personal title. Since 2018, the council of Almere has comprised a total of 45 members.

* Labour/GroenLinks presented a joint list at the 2026 election.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Netherlands

Twin cities

Almere has friendly connections with several cities around the world, called twin cities.

Geography

Almere is located in the polder of Southern Flevoland. It is the most western municipality of the province Flevoland. It borders with Markermeer in the west and north, Lelystad in the northeast, Zeewolde in the east, and Gooimeer in the south.

Almere consists of three boroughs and three districts, three of which are still being built.

Climate

Almere has an oceanic climate with mild winters and warm summers, and it gets rain throughout the year.

Demography

Inhabitants by origin

Total population

Culture

In 2004, a special area in Almere called Stripheldenbuurt was started. The street names there are all based on famous comics characters and cartoonists. This idea came from the owner of a comics store in Amsterdam.

Sport

Almere is where the football team Almere City FC plays, along with the American football team FlevoPhantoms. It is also the home of the professional basketball team the Almere Sailors.

Transport

Almere's traffic system is easy to recognize because it has special paths for bicycles, cars, and buses. Buses often have their own lane to help them move quickly. Almere connects to big roads called A6 and A27.

Railway

In 1987, Almere got its first train connection through the Flevolijn line, linking Weesp to Lelystad Centrum. Today, Almere has six train stations:

• Almere Poort (opened December 9, 2012)
• Almere Muziekwijk (opened May 30, 1987)
• Almere Centrum (opened May 30, 1987)
• Almere Parkwijk (opened on February 1, 1996)
• Almere Buiten (opened May 30, 1987)
• Almere Oostvaarders (opened December 12, 2004)

Public buses

Local bus lines

Almere has 10 bus lines for the city area. From Monday to Friday, most buses come every 5 minutes during the day. On Saturdays, buses come every 7.5 minutes, but most run every 12–15 minutes. On Sundays, buses usually come every 15 minutes, with some extra buses at certain times. There are also special night buses on Monday to Saturday nights.

The main bus company is Keolis Netherlands, and local buses use a special card or tickets that can be bought on the bus or at certain spots in downtown.

Regional bus lines

There are also buses that go to nearby towns and cities. One bus line, number 159, is run by a company called Connexxion. A special bus line to Utrecht used to run but stopped in 2016 because of budget cuts.

Notable residents

Almere has been home to many interesting people. Some are known for their work in gardening, politics, and entertainment. Others have made their mark in sports such as football, tennis, and figure skating.

Sport

Many athletes from Almere have achieved great things. They have played football, competed in tennis, and even won medals in the Olympics.