Holland, NY

Holland sits in Erie County’s Southtowns, southeast of Buffalo, with a name that points back to the Holland Land Company and the Dutch investors who once held much of western New York. The first settlement here was called Humphrey Valley; the town was formed in 1818 from part of the old town of Willink. Holland’s most recognizable annual tradition grew from a 1950s spring festival organized by the local Kiwanis Club, American Legion, fire company, and Garden Club. The parade came first, then the event took the Tulip Festival name. Today the old fire hall on Main Street houses the Holland Historical Society, giving the town a place to keep its earlier chapters close at hand.