Editing Heerhugowaard (section)

== Cityscape ==
=== Population centres ===
The former municipality of Heerhugowaard consisted of the following towns, villages and/or districts: [[Broekhorn]], [[Butterhuizen]], [[De Noord (Heerhugowaard)|De Noord]], [[Draai]], [[Frik, Heerhugowaard|Frik]], [[Kabel (Heerhugowaard)|Kabel]], [['t Kruis]], [[Veenhuizen, North Holland|Veenhuizen]], [[Verlaat (Heerhugowaard)|Verlaat]], [[Oostertocht]], [[Bomenwijk]], [[Schilderswijk]], [[Rivierenwijk]], [[Edelstenenwijk]], [[Stad van de Zon]].

=== Expansion ===
Over time the population has grown. In 1960, Heerhugowaard had 6,800 inhabitants; increasing to 25,000 in 1975, 47,239 in 2004 and 48,267 in 2005. In May 2007, Heerhugowaard welcomed its 50,000th inhabitant, exceeding 58,000 by 2021. For several years in the 1970s, Heerhugowaard was the fastest growing municipality in the Netherlands. It is expected that by around 2050, Heerhugowaard will have approximately 100,000 inhabitants, although young people are moving away, so this number might never be reached. 

The major part of the population lives in so-called [[Vinex-location|Vinex-districts]]. The rural core of the North lies in the Middenwaard. The core of the south is at Stationsweg by the old church. In the polders there are small hamlets. The greater part of the town is new developments. Heerhugowaard has a number of subdivisions which were set up the same as in [[Almere]], for example the writer district, the tree district, the planet district, and the nature area of Butterhuizen. In two of the newest districts, called [[Stad van de Zon]] I and II (= City of the Sun I and II) the energy supplies for a considerable part comes from [[solar power|solar energy]].

=== Parks ===
The surroundings of Heerhugowaard are quite varied, including much farmland. with flower bulb fields to the east. In the mid-1980s, 61 hectares of woodland were planted, the "Waarderhout".

=== Commerce ===
One [[Shopping mall|shopping centre]] in Heerhugowaard is Middenwaard, owned by [[Real estate investing|real estate investment]] company Wereldhave. Middenwaard was built in five phases. Construction began in 1974, with the last phase completed in 2008, with renovations since then.