Järvenpää facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Järvenpää Träskända
Municipality and town
Järvenpään kaupunki Träskända stad
Sibeliuksenkatu (Sibelius' street)
Coat of arms
Location of Järvenpää in Finland
Country	Finland
Region	Uusimaa
Sub-region	Helsinki sub-region
Metropolitan area	Helsinki metropolitan area
Charter	1951
City rights	1967
Area  (2018-01-01)
• Total	39.93 km2 (15.42 sq mi)
• Land	37.54 km2 (14.49 sq mi)
• Water	2.39 km2 (0.92 sq mi)
Area rank	307th largest in Finland
Population  (2023-12-31)
• Total	46,490
• Rank	24th largest in Finland
• Density	1,238.41/km2 (3,207.5/sq mi)
Population by native language
• Finnish	90.4% (official)
• Swedish	1.1%
• Others	8.5%
Population by age
• 0 to 14	16.8%
• 15 to 64	64.3%
• 65 or older	18.9%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Climate	Dfb

Järvenpää (pronounced "YAR-ven-paa") is a town in Finland. It's located in the southern part of the country, in the Uusimaa region. About 46,000 people live in Järvenpää, making it the 24th largest municipality in Finland by population.

Järvenpää is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. This large area has about 1.58 million people.

The town is on the railway line that connects Helsinki and Riihimäki. It's about 37 kilometres (23 mi) (23 miles) north of Helsinki. Järvenpää's neighbours are Tuusula, Sipoo, and Mäntsälä. Even though Kerava is often thought of as a neighbour, it doesn't actually share a border with Järvenpää.

History of Järvenpää

The village of Järvenpää was first mentioned in a tax list from 1540. Back then, it was called Treskendaby in Swedish. Soon after, its Finnish name, like Jerffuepä or Järuenpää, was also used. At that time, the village had eight farms.

Järvenpää was originally part of the Sipoo parish. In 1643, it moved to the new chapel of Tuusula. Tuusula then became its own independent church parish in 1654.

By the late 1700s, Järvenpää's population started to grow again. This was thanks to new farming methods. In the mid-1800s, Järvenpää and Nummenkylä became the biggest villages in Tuusula, with about 450 people.

Because it was on the road between Helsinki and Mäntsälä, Järvenpää became a small trading hub. It had a tavern and several craftspeople. These reasons helped Järvenpää get one of the first train stations on the Helsinki–Riihimäki railway.

Järvenpää officially separated from Tuusula in 1951. After this, it became a market town (kauppala). In 1967, Järvenpää was given full city rights (kaupunki). Bjarne Westermarck is seen as the founder of the town.

Geography and Neighbourhoods

Järvenpää is split into 25 different areas called neighbourhoods. You can see where these neighbourhoods are on the map.

People and Languages

Population Growth

Järvenpää has about 46,490 residents. This makes it the 24th most populated municipality in Finland. It's part of the Helsinki metropolitan area, which is Finland's largest urban area.

In Järvenpää, about 8.5% of the people have a foreign background. This means their family originally came from another country. This percentage is lower than the average for all of Finland.

In 2020, about 16.8% of Järvenpää's population was under 15 years old. Most people, 64.3%, were between 15 and 64. About 18.9% were over 65. Almost everyone in Järvenpää lives in the main urban area. Only a very small number of people live in less populated areas.

Languages Spoken

Population by mother tongue (2023)      Finnish (90.4%)     Estonian (1.4%)     Russian (1.4%)     Swedish (1.1%)     Ukrainian (0.7%)     Arabic (0.5%)     English (0.4%)     Other (4.1%)

Järvenpää is mainly a Finnish-speaking municipality. Most people, about 90.4% of the population, speak Finnish as their first language.

A smaller number of people, about 1.1% of the population, speak Swedish. About 8.5% of the people in Järvenpää speak a different language as their first language.

Because English and Swedish are taught in schools, many people in Järvenpää can speak two or even three languages well. The most common languages spoken by people from other countries are Estonian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Arabic.

Immigration and Backgrounds

Population by country of birth (2022)
Nationality	Population	%
Finland	42,447	93.0
Estonia	607	1.3
Soviet Union	342	0.7
Sweden	190	0.4
Vietnam	105	0.2
Thailand	101	0.2
Russia	91	0.2
Afghanistan	88	0.2
Turkey	75	0.2
Iraq	75	0.2
Romania	68	0.1
Other	1,441	3.2

As of 2023, about 3,970 people in Järvenpää had a migrant background. This is about 8.5% of the total population. Around 3,796 people were born outside of Finland.

Most foreign-born residents came from Estonia, the former Soviet Union, Sweden, and Vietnam. The number of immigrants in Järvenpää is lower than the national average for Finland.

Religious Groups

In 2023, the largest religious group in Järvenpää was the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. About 59.7% of the people belonged to this church. Other religious groups made up 3.1% of the population. A large number of people, 37.2%, said they did not belong to any religious group.

Culture and Arts

Ainola, the home of Jean Sibelius

In the early 1900s, Järvenpää was home to many artists. Famous people like composer Jean Sibelius, writer Juhani Aho, and painter Eero Järnefelt lived here. This was partly because it was easy to travel to Helsinki by train.

Järvenpää is well-known as the location of Ainola. This was the home of the famous composer Jean Sibelius. He moved there with his family in 1904 and lived there until he passed away in 1957. Ainola is now a museum about Sibelius and is open to visitors in the summer.

Juhani Aho and his wife, Venny Soldan-Brofeldt, moved to Järvenpää in 1897. They lived for 14 years in a villa called Vårbacka, which was later named Ahola. It was located by the shore of Lake Tuusula.

The K-Citymarket in Järvenpää was named the "Grocery Store of the Year" in 2019 by the IGD in the United Kingdom.

Events and Festivals

ZZ Top performing at Puistoblues in 2010

Many events happen throughout the year at the Järvenpää-talo (Järvenpää-house). These include concerts, theatre shows, and art exhibits. There's also a special place for children called Pikku-Aino's home, where kids can play and put on shows.

Every year, Järvenpää hosts a music event called Puistoblues [fi] (Park Blues). The "Blues-week" starts with a "Blues street" event in the city centre. During this week, concerts and informal music sessions take place in local bars and restaurants. The main concert is held on a Saturday at the end of the week in Vanhankylänniemi.

Järvenpää celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2021.

Getting Around Järvenpää

The main railway line runs right through the city centre. Besides the main station, there are also train stations at Ainola, Saunakallio, and Haarajoki.

A train trip to Helsinki takes about half an hour. Getting to Helsinki-Vantaa airport takes about 20 minutes. Trains to the capital run often, usually twice an hour from the main station and once an hour from the other stations.

How Järvenpää is Managed

Järvenpää is part of the Uusimaa electoral district. The town is governed by a town council, which has 51 members called councillors. These councillors represent different political groups.

The political groups on the town council (from 2004–2008) were:

• The Social Democratic Party of Finland (14 councillors)
• The National Coalition Party (13 councillors)
• Järvenpää 2000 Plus (7 councillors)
• The Centre Party (7 councillors)
• The Green League (4 councillors)
• The Left Alliance (3 councillors)
• Christian Democrats (1 councillor)
• Communist Party of Finland (1 councillor)
• Liberals (1 councillor)

International Connections

Järvenpää has "twin towns" or "sister cities" in other countries. These connections help promote cultural exchange and friendship.

Twin Towns and Sister Cities

Järvenpää is twinned with:

See also

In Spanish: Järvenpää para niños