The street plan of Nieuw Nickerie looks like a checkerboard.
Similar to New York, the streets are at right angles to each other (all streets are structured either in a north-south, or east-west direction).
Because the Nickerie river does not flow in a straight east-west line, the road alongside the river crosses all the streets which lead to the river in a similar angle.
The city is split up in an east and west section by a canal.

View from A.K. Doergasawhstraat (Achterstraat)

Over the years Nieuw Nickerie has been extending to the south (former rice fields in Van Petten polder) and to the east (former cane fields of the Waterloo plantation).

Olga Clark Kinderhuis (nursery home), is located on a former rice field
in Van Petten polder and was managed by my former classmate Dennis Filemon,
until he passed away on 11 October 2008

Around the turn of the century the balata winning became very important for Nickerie.
Yearly many people penetrated into the woods to "bleed" balata.
The money earned was spent generously in Nickerie and trade gained off it.
After the balata-tree heigh days, balata lost almost every significance.
The last balata enterprise closed it's doors in 1970.

Bleeding of a balata tree

Overview of port and city

A new port is under construction

SWM (Watersupplies) mainplant at Achterdam