Editing Meerhout

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox Belgium municipality
|name            = Meerhout
|picture         = Center-meerhout-2004.png
|map             = Meerhout Antwerp Belgium Map.svg
|map-legend      = Location of Meerhout in the province of Antwerp
|arms            = Blason ville be Meerhout.svg
|flag            = Flag of Meerhout.svg
|region          = {{BE-REG-FLE}}
|community       = {{BE-NL}}
|province        = {{BE-PROV-AN}}
|arrondissement  = [[Arrondissement of Turnhout|Turnhout]]
|nis             = 13021
|pyramid-date=1 January 2006
|0-19=19,72
|20-64=62,98
|65=17,30
|foreigners=1,95
|foreigners-date=1 January 2008
|mayor           = Nele Geudens <small>([[Christian Democratic and Flemish|CD&V]])</small>
|majority        = CD ([[Christian Democratic and Flemish|CD&V]])
|postal-codes    = 2450
|telephone-area  = 014
|web             = [http://www.meerhout.be www.meerhout.be]
|coordinates     = {{coord|51|08|N|05|05|E|region:BE|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''Meerhout''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈmeːrɦʌut}}) is a [[Municipalities of Belgium|municipality]] located in the [[Belgium|Belgian]] province of [[Antwerp (province)|Antwerp]]. The municipality only comprises the town of Meerhout proper. In 2021, Meerhout had a total population of 10,279.<ref name="stat">{{cite web|url=https://statbel.fgov.be/sites/default/files/files/opendata/bevolking/sectoren/OPENDATA_SECTOREN_2021.xlsx |title=Bevolking per statistische sector - Sector 13021 |website=Statistics Belgium |access-date=10 May 2022 }}</ref> The total area is 36.29&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> which gives a [[population density]] of 264 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>. In Meerhout some famous people have lived, like [[Kate Ryan]] (well known in France and Belgium, The UK, Turkey, Spain and the rest of western Europe).

Meerhout is a part of the Economic Network of the [[Albertkanaal]] (Albert Canal, named after King Albert 1).

==Demographics==
As of 1 January 2008, there are 9578 people living in Meerhout. 50.4% of them are men, 49.6% are women. Most people are older than 40.

{| align="center" rules="all" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="border: 1px solid #999; border-right: 2px solid #999; border-bottom:2px solid #999"
|+ style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"|

;19th century
! Year !! 1806!! 1816 !! 1830 !! 1846 !! 1856 !! 1866 !! 1876 !! 1880 !! 1890
|-
| Population|| align=center| 2534 || align=center| 2845 || align=center| 3237 || align=center| 3633 || align=center| 3659 || align=center| 3664 || align=center| 3871 || align=center| 4043 || align=center| 4363
|-
| colspan=10 align=center| <small>Note: results as of 31/12</small>
|}

{| align="center" rules="all" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="border: 1px solid #999; border-right: 2px solid #999; border-bottom:2px solid #999"
|+ style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"|

;20th century until reform
! Year !! 1900!! 1910 !! 1920 !! 1930 !! 1947 !! 1961 !! 1970 !! 1976
|-
| Population|| align=center| 4531 || align=center| 5362 || align=center| 5871 || align=center| 6197 || align=center| 7189 || align=center| 7945 || align=center| 8567 || align=center| 8521
|-
| colspan=10 align=center| <small>Note: results as of 31/12</small>
|}

{| align="center" rules="all" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="border: 1px solid #999; border-right: 2px solid #999; border-bottom:2px solid #999"
|+ style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"|

;After reform
! Year !! 1977!! 1980 !! 1985 !! 1990 !! 1995 !! 2000 !! 2005 !! 2006 !! 2007 !! 2008
|-
| Population || align=center| 8521 || align=center| 8644 || align=center| 8790 || align=center| 9070 || align=center| 9190 || align=center| 9192 || align=center| 9317 || align=center| 9361 || align=center| 9463 || align=center| 9578
|-
| colspan=11 align=center| <small>Note: results as of 01/01 - Source: National Institute of Statistics Belgium (NIS)</small>
|}

==Tourism==
There is quite a lot of tourism in Meerhout.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} Tourist routes include the "drieprovincieënroute" (three provinces route), which is a cycling route going through the provinces of Antwerp, Flemish Brabant and Limburg. There are also some B&Bs available, and most shopkeepers understand English. Meerhout is popular among people from the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} Some (older) English people visit Meerhout too because of "The Wing" and other memorial icons of WW2.
Every year, around the last week-end of April, around 30,000 people travel to Meerhout to go to [[Groezrock]], one of the world's largest punk rock festivals.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

==Education==
There are only 5 schools in Meerhout, these schools are both Pre- and Primary schools for children between the age of 3 and 12 years old.

There are secondary schools in the neighbourhood which are easily reachable by public transport or car/bicycle, in [[Geel]], [[Mol, Belgium|Mol]], [[Diest]] and [[Tessenderlo]].

==Sports==

A [[cyclo-cross]] competition is held in October.

==Media==
Meerhout had its own radio station, "MeerGoud" (MeerHout=>Meergoud, Goud means "Gold"), but it ceased broadcasting in 2006.

==Notable Inhabitant==
*[[Kate Ryan]] (Female artist, won several awards, also well known in France, and getting more famous in other countries all over Europe)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.meerhout.be Official website (Dutch only)]

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Meerhout
|North     = [[Mol, Belgium|Mol]]
|Northeast = [[Balen]]
|Southeast = [[Ham, Belgium|Ham]] ([[Limburg (Belgium)|VLI]])
|Southwest = [[Laakdal]]
|West      = [[Geel]]
}}
{{Municipalities in Antwerp}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Municipalities of Antwerp Province]]
[[Category:Populated places in Antwerp Province]]