America, Netherlands should not be confused with Amerika, Netherlands.
| America | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Netherlands#Netherlands Limburg |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Netherlands##Location in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Limburg |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Horst aan de Maas |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | 29 |
| Area Total Km2: | 24.87 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 2,055 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 5966 |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
| Area Code: | 077 |
| Coordinates: | 51.4378°N 5.9789°W |
| Native Name: | Amerika |
| Native Name Lang: | li |
America (Limburgish: Amerika, in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ɑˈmeːrikaː/) is a parish village in the Dutch province of Limburg, known historically for its peat extraction.
America is part of the municipality of Horst aan de Maas in Limburg, and lies approximately northwest of Venlo, east of Helmond, and west of the German border. The town is located within the agricultural Peel region of the Netherlands where peat extraction has been practiced since the Middle Ages. The town is situated approximately above sea level on the Kabroeksebeek, a stream that flows northeasterly to the Groote Molenbeek stream and eventually to the Meuse.
The area of the town is and the population as of 2019 is 2,030.[3]
America was founded in the late 19th century on the Venlo–Eindhoven railway to serve peat extraction in the area by providing transportation for workers and resources. The town's etymology is uncertain, but it is likely the town was named after the Americas. Other villages with similar foreign names in the Peel region, including California and Siberia, were founded in the same era.
The town's railway station, America Station, opened in 1866 and was rebuilt in 1894. The parish church for America, Saint Joseph's Church, was completed in 1892. The railway station closed in 1938 and the town was captured by the Germans during World War II before being liberated by the British on 22 November 1944.[4] America Station was eventually demolished in 1970, although it has been immortalized by the 1993 album Station America by the local band Rowwen Hèze.
In recent years, as peat extraction has declined surrounding America, reclaimed peatlands have been converted as holiday villages and bungalow resorts including Limburgse Peel and Het Meerdal, both operated by Center Parcs Europe.