Kerava facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kerava Kervo
Town
Keravan kaupunki Kervo stad
Kerava town centre
Coat of arms
Location of Kerava in Finland
Country	Finland
Region	Uusimaa
Sub-region	Helsinki sub-region
Metropolitan area	Helsinki metropolitan area
Township	1924–1970
City	1970–
Area  (2018-01-01)
• Total	30.79 km2 (11.89 sq mi)
• Land	30.63 km2 (11.83 sq mi)
• Water	0.17 km2 (0.07 sq mi)
Area rank	309th largest in Finland
Population  (2023-12-31)
• Total	38,211
• Rank	30th largest in Finland
• Density	1,247.5/km2 (3,231/sq mi)
Population by native language
• Finnish	82.6% (official)
• Swedish	1.2%
• Others	16.2%
Population by age
• 0 to 14	16.3%
• 15 to 64	63.8%
• 65 or older	19.9%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Climate	Dfb

Kerava (pronounced KEH-rah-vah) is a lively town in Finland. It's located in the southern part of the country, right in the middle of the Uusimaa region. Kerava is home to about 38,000 people. It's one of the most populated areas in Finland.

Kerava is also part of the larger Helsinki Metropolitan Area. This big area includes cities like Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa. Together, they have millions of people living there. Kerava's neighbors are Vantaa to the south, Sipoo to the east, and Tuusula to the west.

The town covers an area of about 65 square kilometers. Most of this is land, with a small part being water. Kerava is one of the smallest towns in Finland by area. However, it's also one of the most crowded, especially compared to other places in its sub-region. Almost everyone in Kerava speaks Finnish.

Did you know that the Sinebrychoff brewery is based in Kerava? There's also a well-known prison here called Keravan vankila.

Kerava's Story: A Look at Its History

For a long time, Kerava was mostly wild land. Then, around the 1440s, two villages started to form along the Kerava River. These were called Ylikerava (Upper Kerava) and Alikerava (Lower Kerava).

In 1643, Kerava became part of the Tuusula parish. A big change happened in 1862 when a railway line opened between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna. This railway brought new businesses to Kerava, which used to be mostly agricultural (farming). A carpentry factory opened in 1908, and the wood industry became very important for the town's growth. The town's coat of arms even shows a special woodworking joint used by carpenters!

In 1924, Kerava became its own separate township. Back then, about 3,000 people lived here. It even included part of the Korso area for a while. But in 1954, Korso was moved to the Helsinki Rural Municipality.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Kerava grew very fast. Its population almost doubled! This was because many people moved here, and it had good transport links. New suburbs like Kurkela, Kilta, and Untola were built. Finally, in 1970, Kerava officially became a city.

Exploring Kerava: Geography and Layout

Map of the Kerava town

Kerava is located north of the Helsinki metropolitan area. It's about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of Helsinki. The city has important transport routes running through it. These include the main railway line from Helsinki to Lahti and the Lahdenväylä motorway. The Keravanjoki river also flows through the city. This river is a branch of the Vantaanjoki river.

Kerava is mostly an urban area, meaning it's built up with homes and businesses. It can be divided into a central area, Savio in the south, and Ahjo in the east. The center of Kerava has many streets spreading out from it. There's also a pedestrian street that goes under the railway. It's said to be the longest in Finland, stretching 850 meters!

Kerava is divided into 10 different neighbourhoods. Here are their names:

• Kaleva
• Kilta
• Sompio
• Keskusta
• Ahjo
• Savio
• Ylikerava
• Kaskela
• Alikerava
• Jokivarsi

People of Kerava: Population and Languages

Kerava's Population Over Time

The city of Kerava has about 38,000 people living in it. This makes it one of the most populated municipalities in Finland. As mentioned, it's part of the Helsinki metropolitan area, which is the biggest urban area in Finland.

About 16.5% of the people in Kerava have a background from another country. This is higher than the average for all of Finland.

Languages Spoken in Kerava

Population by mother tongue (2023)      Finnish (82.6%)     Estonian (3.5%)     Russian (2.8%)     Swedish (1.2%)     Arabic (1.1%)     English (0.7%)     Ukraine (0.7%)     Other (7.4%)

Kerava is mainly a Finnish-speaking municipality. Most people, about 83%, speak Finnish as their first language. A smaller number, about 1.2% of the population, speak Swedish. About 16% of the people in Kerava have a mother tongue other than Finnish or Swedish.

Because English and Swedish are required subjects in school, many people in Kerava can speak two or even three languages. This is thanks to their language studies.

At least 40 different languages are spoken in Kerava! The most common languages from other countries are Estonian (3.5%), Russian (2.8%), Arabic (1.1%), and English (0.7%).

People from Other Countries

Population by country of birth (2022)
Nationality	Population	%
Finland	32,810	87.1
Estonia	1,244	3.3
Soviet Union	588	2.9
Turkey	185	0.5
Thailand	167	0.4
Vietnam	165	0.4
Iraq	163	0.4
Sweden	146	0.4
Russia	120	0.3
Eritrea	117	0.3
Romania	97	0.3
Other	1,702	4.5

In 2022, about 5,586 people living in Kerava had a background from another country. This was about 14.8% of the total population. The number of people born outside Finland was 4,866.

Many foreign-born residents came from Estonia, the former Soviet Union, Turkey, and Thailand. The number of people from other countries in Kerava is growing. This means that more and more new residents in the city are from different parts of the world.

Religious Groups in Kerava

In 2023, the largest religious group in Kerava was the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. About 53.7% of the people belonged to this church. Other religious groups made up 3.4% of the population. A large part of the population, 42.9%, did not belong to any religious group.

Getting Around: Transport in Kerava

Kerava has two railway stations: Kerava Central Railway Station and Savio station. The Kerava Central Railway Station is a busy place where different train lines meet. You can catch trains from the main track that goes from Helsinki to Riihimäki, and also trains that go to Lahti and Porvoo.

If you need to fly, the Helsinki Airport (HEL) is only about 15 kilometers (9 miles) away by car. It's also about 32 kilometers (20 miles) along Highway 4 (E75) from Kerava to the center of Helsinki.

In 2010, the city of Kerava joined the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL). This means that public transport in Kerava is part of the larger Helsinki area transport system.

Kerava's Culture: Food and More

Traditional Food of Kerava

In the 1980s, several garlic dishes were named traditional foods of the Kerava parish. These included:

• Yrjö's lamb (called à la Jorgos)
• Garlic potatoes
• Crushed garlic in oil

For dessert, a gooseberry pie with vanilla sauce was a favorite!

Famous People from Kerava

Many interesting people have connections to Kerava:

• President J. K. Paasikivi (1870–1956): He was a president of Finland and lived in Kerava from 1917 to the 1940s.
• Hanna-Maria Seppälä (born 1984): A famous Finnish freestyle swimmer.
• Volmari Iso-Hollo (1907–1969): An Olympic medalist.
• Jean Sibelius (1865–1957): A very famous Finnish composer.
• Väinö Bremer (1899-1964): A Finnish Olympic medalist biathlete and pilot who sadly died in a plane crash here.

See also

In Spanish: Kerava para niños