“I'm glad I'm living in Amstelveen; it's greener than Amsterdam, but you still have the advantage of living next to a big city.”  G.B., Latvian, Amstelveen

Key attractions for residents, workers and businesses are the proximity to Schiphol airport and access to international schools. The International School of Amsterdam is based here with over 950 children from over 50 countries but pupils at Amsterdam's other international schools (such as the British School) often live in Amstelveen. The area is flanked by Amsterdam's largest park, the Amsterdamse Bos and the CoBrA Museum adds a dash of culture.

Het Oude Dorp

The name literally translates as "the old town", the ancient hub of the original settlement, which dates from 1278, and it is sandwiched between the Amsterdamse Bos to the west, and the town centre to the east. Built in between the older detached dwellings and farms, are newer housing of either terraced houses or apartments, almost all of which flank the Amsterdamse Bos.

Flats in Westwijk

Westwijk, a new area of Amstelveen, is more modern and spacious, lined with small canals. The one central shopping zone in the centre of the neighbourhood preserves the feeling of a residential area. Larger detached family homes and villas are available here, in a green and tranquil setting that offers a lot of individual privacy. These are premium properties, so expect to pay premium prices.

Centre or "Stadshart"

The centre of Amstelveen is right in the geographic centre of the town. It has all of the amenities of a large town and was essentially rebuilt in the 1960s. The central hub revolves around the shopping, museum, theatre and office area surrounding Plein ’60, a huge square adjoining the Amstelveen bus station and the CoBrA museum. The square hosts a huge market on Fridays. The northeast side of the centre offers modern apartments.

Amstelveen North - Elsrijk

Directly north of the town centre, Elsrijk is often described as "classic Amstelveen". Elsrijk boasts wide streets, huge trees, and a large range of post-war housing from apartment complexes to semi-detached housing next to small parks. Scattered in between are areas of terraced housing and single-family dwellings. There are also areas of wide-open street with large detached houses and villas.

Parks are plentiful

Patrimonium runs along the Amsterdamse Bos and can be said to be the first suburb of old Amstelveen. Of note in this area are the many smaller historic parks. You will find another "classic" Amstelveen mix of housing, depending on the area.

The centre of the area boasts houses, shops and offices of a variety of styles and periods. New housing sections have been developed along the Amsterdamseweg; mostly small blocks of single-family houses. The Prinsessenbuurt in the north west of Patrimonium is of note for its large open spaces, and big detached houses set amongst some of the oldest small parks in the area.

Facts:

Population: 80,724 (www.amstelveen.nl)
International residents:
10,000 ‘Total non-Dutch’ (12.5 percent)
The Japanese community has been the largest group of non-Dutch citizens for several years (1,644) with a significant increase in the number of Indian nationals staying in the city and surrounds.
International schools:
International School of Amsterdam: www.isa.nl
Links: www.amstelveen.nl
www.amstelveenweb.com

In the following video, an advisor at ABN AMRO guides you through the necessary steps to arrange a mortgage in the Netherlands.