Hausjärvi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hausjärvi
Municipality
Hausjärven kunta Hausjärvi kommun
Coat of arms
Location of Hausjärvi in Finland
Country	Finland
Region	Tavastia Proper
Sub-region	Riihimäki sub-region
Charter	1868
Seat	Oitti
Area  (2018-01-01)
• Total	398.77 km2 (153.97 sq mi)
• Land	389.42 km2 (150.36 sq mi)
• Water	8.98 km2 (3.47 sq mi)
Area rank	205th largest in Finland
Population  (2023-12-31)
• Total	7,998
• Rank	119th largest in Finland
• Density	20.54/km2 (53.2/sq mi)
Population by native language
• Finnish	96% (official)
• Swedish	0.4%
• Others	3.6%
Population by age
• 0 to 14	17.1%
• 15 to 64	60.3%
• 65 or older	22.6%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)

Hausjärvi is a small town, or municipality, in Finland. It's located in the southern part of the country. The main center of Hausjärvi is a place called Oitti.

Hausjärvi is part of the Tavastia Proper region. As of 31 December 2023, about 7,998 people live there. The municipality covers an area of about 398.77 square kilometres (153.97 sq mi), with some of that being water.

Hausjärvi has three main areas where most people live: Hikiä, Oitti, and Ryttylä. Oitti is the official administrative center. Sometimes, people discuss which of these areas should get more attention and funding for new projects. The official language spoken in Hausjärvi is Finnish.

A Look at Hausjärvi's Past

Hausjärvi Church

People first started settling in the Hausjärvi area around the 1300s. These early settlers were hunters from a nearby place called Janakkala. They built their homes near the Puujoki river. They hunted and also practiced a type of farming called slash-and-burn agriculture.

In 1611, Hausjärvi became a separate church area, or "chapel parish," from Janakkala. This led to the building of its first church that same year. Hausjärvi officially became an independent parish in 1855.

How Railways Changed Hausjärvi

The building of important railways, like the one from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna, brought big changes to Hausjärvi. Two villages, Hyvinkää and Riihimäki, grew a lot because they became important railway stops. They became independent towns in 1918 and 1922.

Later, the village of Oitti became the main administrative center for the rest of Hausjärvi. This happened because it also had a railway station on the line between Riihimäki and Lahti.

Exploring Hausjärvi's Landscape

A large natural ridge system called the first Salpausselkä runs through Hausjärvi. In the southeast, it's a wide ridge that reaches about 150 metres (490 ft) high near Lake Erkylänjärvi. As it goes east, it gets narrower around Hikiä and then splits into two parts near Oitti.

One part of the ridge, called Patastenmäki, reaches about 135 metres (443 ft) high. The ridge then gets lower as it reaches the nearby municipality of Kärkölä. There's also a broken chain of hills, called an esker, that stretches from Hikiä towards Hämeenlinna.

The most important river in Hausjärvi is the Puujoki. Water flows into it from Lake Pääjärvi in Lammi and Hämeenkoski.

What are the Villages of Hausjärvi?

In 1967, Hausjärvi had 19 villages that were officially recognized. These are:

Who Lives in Hausjärvi?

In 2020, about 17.1% of the people in Hausjärvi were under 15 years old. Most people, 60.3%, were between 15 and 64. About 22.6% were over 65. The average age was 44.6 years.

Most people (96.4%) in Hausjärvi speak Finnish. A small number (0.4%) speak Swedish, and 3.2% speak other languages. About 2.5% of the total population are not Finnish citizens.

The chart below shows how the total population of Hausjärvi has changed over the years, from 1975 to 2020.

Where Do People Live in Hausjärvi?

In 2019, out of 8,260 people, 5,292 lived in urban areas (places with more buildings and people). The other 2,897 lived in more spread-out, rural areas. This means about 64.6% of Hausjärvi's population lives in urban areas.

The urban population is spread across five main areas:

How Does Hausjärvi Make Money?

In 2018, most people in Hausjärvi worked in services (60.0%), like shops, schools, or healthcare. About 28.5% worked in secondary production, which includes things like manufacturing (making goods), construction (building things), and infrastructure (like roads and bridges). A smaller number, 9.1%, worked in primary production, which means agriculture (farming), forestry (working with forests), and fishing.

In 2019, the unemployment rate was 5.6%, meaning that percentage of people looking for work couldn't find it. Also, 26.2% of the population were retired.

Top Employers in Hausjärvi

Here are the ten largest employers in Hausjärvi in 2019:

Hausjärvi's Global Connections

Hausjärvi has special relationships with towns in other countries. These are called "twin towns" or "sister cities."

Twin Towns – Sister Cities

• Naie, Japan (since 1995)
• Väike-Maarja Parish, Estonia (since 1989)