# why don't urban people in Netherlands move to higher ground? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587 "2011-08-13T17:25:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/1 "2011-08-13T17:25:12Z")
from wikipedia: [Netherlands - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands) > [@](#): > > The Netherlands is a geographically low-lying country, with about 25% of its area and 21% of its population located below sea level,[10] and 50% of its land lying less than one metre above sea level.[11] I can understand that a farmer may need to live in or near a polder if that’s where his land is. But given that nowadays few people are farmers, why do these 21% of the population live in the potential disaster zone and pay extra taxes to keep the dikes in repair? Are there major land price and house rent cost differences that prevent everybody from resettling in safer locations? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/2 "2011-08-13T17:35:59Z")
Twenty-one percent of the people are living in twenty-five percent of the land, so the low lands have fewer people than average and it appears people do prefer to live on relatively higher ground. As for why they live there at all, if there was enough land for everyone in the rest of the Netherlands they wouldn’t have created the low lands. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/3 "2011-08-13T17:36:11Z")
Why don’t American midwesterners move out of tornado alley? Why don’t most of the population of California move out of the earthquake zone? ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/4 "2011-08-13T18:17:31Z")
Since you specified urban people, it appears that you’ve answered your own question. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/5 "2011-08-13T18:21:41Z")
A microscopic risk versus a lot of trouble of moving? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/6 "2011-08-13T18:25:01Z")
Not to mention the fact that you have a job where you are and may not have one where you go. ---
**Author:** ![Hairy\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecc23a/32.png) [@Hairy\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hairy_Bob)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/7 "2011-08-14T09:39:55Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Why don’t American midwesterners move out of tornado alley? Why don’t most of the population of California move out of the earthquake zone? /Related/ Why do/did all the towns and cities along the Mississippi keep raising the levees instead of just moving away? ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/8 "2011-08-14T15:12:40Z")
Take a look at the map [on this wiki page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_control_in_the_Netherlands) to see the extent of what you’re proposing. Most of the major cities in the Netherlands are partly or totally below sea level. In fact, a major reason for why cities like Rotterdam and Amsterdam are so important is because they’re close to the sea, which was enabled international trade and the now mostly defunct Dutch “empire”. Rotterdam is still one of the main harbors in the world. Aside from the lack of space (the Netherlands is also a major exporter of agricultural products, economically, we just can’t afford to loose all of the [Randstad](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randstad). ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/9 "2011-08-14T20:57:58Z")
There’s very little ‘higher’ ground, and most of it isn’t very high. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/10 "2011-08-14T21:48:17Z")
Here’s a relief map of the [Netherlands](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P83eArQZjRI/S3BbT_lfRPI/AAAAAAAABRQ/P1rZYgyhiBg/s1600-h/nederland.jpg). See how almost the entire country is colored bluish (under sea level) and dark green (the lowest land above sea level)? Except for a couple of isolated sports there IS no higher ground. In fact, a wet season in Western Europe could flood basically all the rivers that run through the area. ---
**Author:** ![TonKa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9f8e36/32.png) [@TonKa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonKa)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/11 "2011-08-14T22:18:50Z")
Hi, I am Ton and I live near Amsterdam, well below sea-level. The answer to your question is simple, why should we? There is no real risk of flooding, it’s just in some peoples mind. We are the best protected country against high water in the world. I think living in LA is more dangerous because of the earthquake risks. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/12 "2011-08-14T23:01:26Z")
Is the North Sea rising or is the land sinking? The Rhine River deposits millions of tons of sand and mud in the delta-is the weight of this sediment depressing the land? The Dutch government has invested billions in dikes, canals, pmping stations, etc., in an effort to keep the land dry-yet, NothEast Holland is pretty sparsely populated-why not move there? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/13 "2011-08-15T04:49:57Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Is the North Sea rising or is the land sinking? The Rhine River deposits millions of tons of sand and mud in the delta-is the weight of this sediment depressing the land? > The Dutch government has invested billions in dikes, canals, pmping stations, etc., in an effort to keep the land dry-yet, NothEast Holland is pretty sparsely populated-why not move there? There is very little land in east North Holland, or indeed anywhere in the two Holland provinces, which does not already have a fairly high population density, and there is none with an elevation over ten meters. In fact, in the entire Kingdom only Limburg, most of Gelderland and Noord Brabant, and a small amount each of Overijssel and Groningen, are above the ten-meter mark. Also, my impression is that the more fertile areas _and_ the major trading centers are toward the south and west – Friesland and Groningen are not exactly backwaters, but not really able to support the population densities of the two Hollands, Utrecht, Noord Brabant, and Limburg. [This map](http://www.preventionweb.net/files/7699_TheNetherlands10mLECZandpopulationdensity1.pdf) (caution: small PDF) may help. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/14 "2011-08-15T11:08:16Z")
never studied the rhine delta but from the looks of it, it’s more of a ‘bird’s foot’ delta like the mississipi rather than a ‘true’ delta like that of the nile. quite simply, a bird’s foot contains a lot of recent deposition and much of it is not ‘fast land.’ think of holland as a heavily populated chesapeake eastern shore, or a modern bangladesh. piling up more dikes, raising land level, and filling up bays/lakes like isselmeer(sp?) can only do so much because doing that will increase the risk of floods and embayments in areas upstream (just like in bangladesh.) ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/15 "2011-08-15T11:29:43Z")
what i want to ask the hollandres dopers is whether or not land in the netherlands is gradually disappearing into the sea. if so, it’s not due to a rise in sea level but more due to erosion of the delta. this problem is observed in both the nile and mississipi deltas. main culprit: dams upstream. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/16 "2011-08-15T12:45:59Z")
So why not build high-rise housing in higher areas? The Netherlands is densely populated-but mostly because the Dutch prefer single-family housing. If they built 500-unit high rises, they wouldn’t have to use the below-sealevel lands. It would be interesting to add how much the Dutch have spent (over the centuries) of their very impressive flood control systems, and compare that with moving the population to higher ground. If the global warming nuts are correct, the North Sea level will rise to the point that even all the dikes in the world won’t stop the Netherlands from flooding. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/17 "2011-08-15T13:14:22Z")
why don’t urban people in Ne [del]therlands[/del] w Orleans move to higher ground? ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/18 "2011-08-15T16:58:36Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > There is very little land in east North Holland, or indeed anywhere in the two Holland provinces, which does not already have a fairly high population density, and there is none with an elevation over ten meters. In fact, in the entire Kingdom only Limburg, most of Gelderland and Noord Brabant, and a small amount each of Overijssel and Groningen, are above the ten-meter mark. And even then, those areas aren’t automatically flood-free. The rivers in Gelderland and Overijssel don’t have large flood plains just because it looks good. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/19 "2011-08-15T21:28:33Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > In fact, in the entire Kingdom only Limburg, most of Gelderland and Noord Brabant, and a small amount each of Overijssel and Groningen, are above the ten-meter mark. Not so. In fact some of the highest land in the Kingdom of the Netherlands is along the French border. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587/20 "2011-08-15T21:45:32Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > Not so. In fact some of the highest land in the Kingdom of the Netherlands is along the French border. St. Maartin is that high an island? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-urban-people-in-netherlands-move-to-higher-ground/592587.md?page=2)