Heusden-Zolder

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Heusden-Zolder
Municipality
Heusden-Zolder town hall
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Heusden-Zolder
Heusden-Zolder Location in Belgium Location of Heusden-Zolder in Limburg
Coordinates: 51°03′N 05°17′E / 51.050°N 5.283°E / 51.050; 5.283
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Limburg
Arrondissement	Hasselt
Government
• Mayor	Mario Borremans
• Governing party/ies	G❘O❘E❘D, Vooruit, CD&V-Groen
Area
• Total	53.4 km2 (20.6 sq mi)
Population  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	33,406
• Density	630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Postal codes	3550
NIS code	71070
Area codes	011
Website	www.heusden-zolder.be

Heusden-Zolder (Flemish: [ˌɦøːzdə(n) ˈzɔldər]; Limburgish: Heuze-Zolder [ˌɦøːzəˈzɔldəʀ])^[tone?] is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769. The total area is 53.23 km² which gives a population density of 578 inhabitants per km².

Heusden-Zolder was the result of the merger on 1 January 1977 of the two former municipalities of Heusden and Zolder, and currently consists of the former Heusden parishes of Heusden centre, Berkenbos and Eversel, and the former Zolder parishes of Zolder centre, Boekt, Viversel, Bolderberg and Lindeman.

Heusden-Zolder is home to almost 2,000 immigrants from all over the world. This is due to the (now closed) coal mine of Zolder. During the 1960s Belgian coal mines faced an enormous shortage of employees. To address this problem, foreigner labourers were encouraged to immigrate and work near the mines. After their closure (the mine in Zolder was the last one in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg to close in 1992) most of the immigrants chose to stay, which makes Heusden-Zolder a relatively multicultural place.