The municipality of Almere, bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde, includes six official areas: the districts of Almere Stad, Almere Buiten and Almere Pampus, and the districts of Almere Haven, Almere Haut and Almere Port.
Four of them house official district or city offices.
In addition, it also includes the unofficial historic district and the Oostvaardersdeep district.
Almere is part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area.
Almere is the newest city in the Netherlands: the land on which the city is located, the South Flevoland polder, was reclaimed from the IJsselmeer from 1959 to 1968.
The first house was built in 1976, and in 1984 Almere became a municipality.
214,715 citizens in 2021 and the eighth largest in the Netherlands.
In October 2007, Almere City Council entered into an agreement with the government to expand the city to 350,000 inhabitants by 2030.
The original plans of the IJsselmerpolders included using the land for agriculture.
However, after World War II, housing was needed for Amsterdam's rapidly growing population, and two cities were planned in the polders: Ostelijk Flevoland and Zeidelik Flevoland.
The town in Ostelek Flevoland became Lelystad.
The town in Zuidelik-Flevoland was initially called Zuidveststad, but in the 1970s it became known as Almere, after Lake Almere, the early medieval name for the Zuiderzee.
The first house in Almere was built in 1976.
At that time the city was still controlled by the Openbaar Lichaam Zuidelijke IJsselmeerpolders with Landdrost.
In 1984, Almere became an official municipality.
Almere was originally conceived as a city with several centers.
This idea was later abandoned in favor of allowing the development of areas such as Toussaint de Vaarten.
There is also a difference between how houses are built in the oldest and newest parts of the city.
The housing plan in Almere in the 1970s provided for basic functionality and equalization of social status.
However, starting in the 1990s, more exclusive houses with striking designs began to be built.
Ank Bijleveld has served as acting mayor of Almere since 17 January 2022.
Following the Dutch municipal elections in 2014, the current municipal council was inaugurated.
The nationalist Freedom Party won a majority of seats in local elections, making national and international news due to controversial statements by its leader Geert Wilders.
Despite this majority of the PVV, the party did not enter the municipal administration.