Flevoland is the only Dutch province that came into being entirely after the Second World War. The Noordoostpolder fell dry in 1942, Eastern Flevoland in 1957 and Southern Flevoland in 1968. Everything there is young and planned. Yet the municipalities differ quite a bit, and that shows in how residents experience living there.
On Buurtje.nl, residents of Flevoland have left 155 reviews together, with an average of 7.5 out of 10. Only municipalities with at least five reviews are included in this comparison. That leaves five, and for the smaller ones we are talking about a handful of reviews. So read this as a direction, not a final verdict.
The results at a glance
| Municipality | Score | Reviews | Strongest point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeewolde | 8.4 | 7 | accessibility and greenery (8.9) |
| Noordoostpolder | 8.2 | 18 | safety and greenery (8.6) |
| Dronten | 8.1 | 12 | safety and greenery (8.3) |
| Almere | 7.3 | 78 | accessibility (7.8) |
| Lelystad | 7.1 | 36 | greenery (8.0) |
The difference is clear: the three municipalities made up of villages and small towns all score above 8. The two cities, where most people in Flevoland live, stay well below that.
The polder villages
1. Zeewolde: 8.4
Zeewolde sits on the Wolderwijd lake, and that water plays a leading role in the reviews. Look out of the window there, one resident says, and you see the beach straight away. Another calls the area "close to the beach, so a really great place". Residents describe a child-friendly, green village with lots of playgrounds and active neighbours. The only critical note concerns young people vandalising an empty building. With seven reviews the picture is narrow, though. Supply is large for a municipality this size: see the homes for sale in Zeewolde or the homes for rent.
2. Noordoostpolder: 8.2
With eighteen reviews, the Noordoostpolder has the best-supported high score in the province. Safety and greenery both get an 8.6. The reviews come from Emmeloord and the villages around it. In Marknesse, one resident praises the village for its supermarket, pharmacy, butcher, baker and GP, with the Weerribben-Wieden national park a short trip away. In Emmeloord's Espelervaart, residents mention the small parks and good contact between neighbours. A less positive note comes from the Revelsant, where one resident does not always feel at ease on the street at night. Amenities score lowest at 7.8. Looking here? See the homes for sale in the Noordoostpolder or the homes for rent.
3. Dronten: 8.1
Dronten consists of three towns: Dronten itself, Biddinghuizen and Swifterbant. Reviews come from all three. In Swifterbant, someone living above the multi-purpose community centre calls it sociable; in the Bremerpark it is about streets full of flowers and the village woods around the corner. You hear the other side too: in Oud-Dronten a resident misses contact with the neighbours, while a newcomer in De Munten finds the social control rather too much. Dronten has the largest supply of homes for sale of the three village municipalities: see the homes for sale and homes for rent in Dronten.
The two cities
4. Almere: 7.3
Almere has the most material with 78 reviews, and therefore the most mixed picture. Accessibility (7.8) and housing (7.7) score best: the city is close to Amsterdam and the motorway, and residents mention spacious homes with playgrounds and schools nearby. Cleanliness (6.9) scores lowest. The differences between districts are large, as we describe in detail in our article on the safest districts in Almere. Listings: homes for sale and homes for rent in Almere.
5. Lelystad: 7.1
The provincial capital closes the list. Greenery scores high at 8.0, but cleanliness (6.4) and community (6.5) pull the average down. Residents value the space, the water and the woods, and complain more often about litter and neighbours who keep to themselves. You can read it district by district in the districts of Lelystad according to residents. See also the homes for sale and homes for rent in Lelystad.
What about Urk?
Urk, the former island that became part of the mainland when the Noordoostpolder was reclaimed, is not on the list. That is not a judgement: the four residents who left a review give it an 8.9 together. But four reviews is just too few for a comparison between municipalities. A few more and Urk will probably make the list, perhaps even at the top. A handful of homes for sale and homes for rent in Urk are currently listed.
Where do the figures come from?
On Buurtje.nl, residents rate their area on eight points: safety, accessibility, community, greenery, housing, education, amenities and cleanliness. The score per municipality is the average of these across all reviews from that municipality, as of 15 October 2026.
Live in Flevoland? Rate your neighbourhood and help the smaller municipalities in particular get a sharper picture. Curious how the neighbouring provinces score? Read the best municipalities in Overijssel or the best municipalities in Gelderland.
