Holland was settled in 1847 by Dutch Calvinist Separatism#Religious separatismseparatists, under the leadership of Dr. Albertus van Raalte, who were escaping from persecution in The Netherlands. Van Raalte chose the land due to its proximity to the Black River where it streamed to Black Lake (now Lake Macatawa) which, in turn, led to Lake Michigan. The land was inhabited by the Ottawa (people)Ottawa, which after a cultural clash with the new Dutch settlers relocated to Northport, Michigan. In Holland's early history, Van Raalte was a spiritual leader, as well as overseeing political, educational and financial matters. In 1847 Van Raalte established a congregation of the Reformed Church in America, which would later be called the First Reformed Church of Holland. In 1867, Holland was incorporated as a city with Isaac Cappon being the city's first mayor. The city suffered a conflagrationmajor fire on October 8–9, 1871, the same time as the Great Chicago Fire in Illinois and the very deadly Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin. The city has a strong religious base since its founding. Before the introduction of the Tulip Time festival, Holland was known as the "City of Churches." There are 170 churches in Holland, many of which are affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church in North America Christian denominationdenominations. The city is the home of the What would Jesus do? bracelets that kicked off the trend in 1989 Holland retains some ties with the Netherlands. The city was visited by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in 1952, by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1982, and by Princess Margriet of the Netherlands in 1997. Juliana (while still Princess) received an honorary doctorate from Hope College in 1944. In 1987, 23-year-old recent Hope College graduate and City Council member Phil Tanis was elected mayor of Holland, becoming its youngest mayor. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland%2C_Michigan