In May 1624, the ship “Nieu Nederlandt” carried about 30 Belgian families to the Manhattan Island Coast, what is today Governor’s Island. The families then dispersed throughout the northeast into Delaware, New Jersey, and Connecticut, mostly remaining in New York City. It is said that when Henry Hudson sailed up the New York river, three Belgians accompanied him, exemplifying the vast historical prominence of the Belgian population in the United States, particularly in New York City.

Following their arrival in the Country, from 1615, the region between Virginia and New England was named New Belgium, referring to the ancient Netherland, which consisted of present-day Belgium, Netherland, Luxembourg, and Northern France. Although most Belgian American populations reside in Michigan and Wisconsin, New York State certainly has a large population of them as well, evident through Town/City names such as Hoboken, and Communipaw among others

The Belgian-American presence in New York City is evident through the tremendous immigration records in Ellis Island, which many Belgian Americans are using to trace down their roots, including Belgian family trees that go up to the 17^th Century. Belgian Americans are looking into various methods of connecting to the “mother land”. As a Belgian American mother says,“… I moved to the States in 2004 with my family. I have two children with dual nationality. My husband is American. We met in the States and got married in 1989. My husband speaks Flemish and a lit bit of French and in the US I have taught foreign languages to children and adults. …I am really proud of the Belgian heritage and what the Belgian have achieved in the States.”

Clearly there is a linguistic and cultural desire to connect with Belgium for the over 360,642 Belgian Americans in the United States. For the 12,304 living in New York, there is a vast opportunity for them to learn the various official languages,taste the traditional food, or enjoy an authentic Belgian beer.