THE US counts 11 Amsterdams. Villages, towns, cities from California to Georgia, from New Jersey to Texas. Amsterdam, CA doesn’t amount to much, it straddles Amsterdam Road: two, three farms and a few orchards. So called because once upon a time a Dutch immigrant had settled there. Whether he actually hailed from Amsterdam proper, we don’t know. He may have just thought that the neighbors would recognize the name – and he would have been right.
Sometimes the first settlers in a new town named Amsterdam were not even Dutch. In that case a railroad was built, with a depot, which was a good reason for building a town. If such a railroad was funded by Amsterdam banks, which happened frequently, then grateful pioneers who built the shops, hotels and a couple bars around the train station would gladly name their new town Amsterdam, like they did in Georgia. And in Montana, thousands of miles away.
THOUGH there, in Montana, the first settlers were actually Dutchmen; in that case it was the railroad company that gave it the name Amsterdam – to keep the local Dutch happy. They were mainly farm workers on barley plantations, and a large brewery was a major railroad customer. Without Dutch farmhands no beer, and without beer no railroad.
The 11 American Amsterdams (in Amsterdam, Ohio they call themselves Amsterdamians) don’t include New Amsterdam, because that’s now New York. But if today you want to watch TV’s most popular doctor’s series, you’ll end up watching New Amsterdam after all, named for a fictional New York hospital. It ran for five seasons and is still a major draw on Netflix. Moreover, the fastest selling vodka in American history is the New Amsterdam brand, with Chrysler Building on its label, built for Walter Chrysler, who was a Dalfsen, Overijssel descendant. For grins, check out Amazon: more than 3,000 products with the name Amsterdam in them.
AMSTERDAM is a household name in the US, one of its most recognizable names, from Amsterdam Roads, Streets and Avenues in 48 states, to Amsterdam LLC, the smoke and vape store in California, to ob/gyn doctor Lisa Amsterdam in Kansas, the Amsterdam bar in St Paul, Amsterdam restaurant in Omaha, Amsterdam sherpa jackets, Amsterdam t-shirts, belts and shoes, the Amsterdam song by Imagine Dragons, and the Amsterdam laundromat between Voorhees Street and Vrooman Avenue. That’s in the city of Amsterdam in New York state, with a population of 20,000 America’s biggest Amsterdam.
Kirk Douglas is from here, he married Michael Douglas’ mom, herself an offspring of the Gerrit Rutgers family tree, an immigrant family from Weesp. Those are roots that go way back, just like those of the founder of the town down the road, Fonda. Douwe Fonda from Kollum who first moved to Amsterdam before crossing the Atlantic, built that place, progeny Jane was born not far from there. That was on the other side of Central Park, two stone’s throws from Amsterdam Avenue, where so many bars and restaurants with Amsterdam in their name now do business.
Except for the latest hotspot at number 464 that always sold out on New Year’s Eve because of their $89 three-course menu. That restaurant’s name was simply Mokum. It’s closed now, but you can still buy Mokum carrots at the neighborhood supermarket. Those are popular, sweet, and very orange.
