Seinäjoki facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Seinäjoki
City
Seinäjoen kaupunki Seinäjoki stad
Coat of arms
Location of Seinäjoki in Finland
Country	Finland
Region	South Ostrobothnia
Sub-region	Seinäjoki sub-region
Charter	1868
Market town	1931
Town	1960
Area  (2018-01-01)
• City	1,469.23 km2 (567.27 sq mi)
• Land	1,431.77 km2 (552.81 sq mi)
• Water	37.59 km2 (14.51 sq mi)
• Urban	52.78 km2 (20.38 sq mi)
Area rank	48th largest in Finland
Population  (2023-12-31)
• City	66,160
• Rank	16th largest in Finland
• Density	46.21/km2 (119.7/sq mi)
• Urban	46,639
• Urban density	883.6/km2 (2,289/sq mi)
Population by native language
• Finnish	95.3% (official)
• Swedish	0.2%
• Others	4.5%
Population by age
• 0 to 14	17.1%
• 15 to 64	62.5%
• 65 or older	20.4%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)

Seinäjoki (pronounced 'SAY-na-yoh-kee') is a city in Finland. It is the main city of the South Ostrobothnia region. You can find Seinäjoki in the western part of Finland, right by the Seinäjoki River.

About 66,000 people live in Seinäjoki. The larger area around it, called the Seinäjoki sub-region, has about 132,000 people. This makes Seinäjoki one of the biggest cities in Finland.

Seinäjoki is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Vaasa and 178 kilometres (111 mi) north of Tampere. It is also 193 kilometres (120 mi) west of Jyväskylä and 324 kilometres (201 mi) southwest of Oulu.

The city started around the Östermyra bruk iron and gunpowder factories, which were built in 1798. Seinäjoki became a municipality in 1868. It grew into a market town in 1931 and then a full town in 1960.

In 2005, the nearby municipality of Peräseinäjoki joined Seinäjoki. In 2009, Nurmo and Ylistaro also became part of Seinäjoki. The city itself is growing, but the population in the surrounding areas is slowly decreasing.

Many important public buildings in Seinäjoki were designed by the famous architect Alvar Aalto. These include the city hall, the city library, and the Lakeuden Risti Church. The Seinäjoki Airport is located nearby in Ilmajoki, about 11 kilometres (10 mi) south of the city center. The Seinäjoki railway station opened in 1883.

History of Seinäjoki

Early Settlement and Growth

People started living in the Seinäjoki area in the early 1500s. By the 1550s, there were at least three main houses: Marttila, Jouppi, and Uppa. Another house, Jouppila, was also built around this time. All these homes were located along the river.

Seinäjoki was originally part of the Ilmajoki church area. However, the roads to the Ilmajoki Church were often in bad condition. So, in 1725, people from Seinäjoki and nearby Nurmo built their own chapel. This led to the creation of the Nurmo chapel town in 1765.

Seinäjoki became part of this new chapel town. In 1798, the chapel parish of Peräseinäjoki was founded. In the same year, the Östermyra steel mill was built by the Seinäjoki river.

Becoming an Independent Municipality

Illustration of Östermyra from the book Finland framstäldt i teckningar (1845-1852).

In the 1850s, people in Seinäjoki wanted to separate from the Nurmo church parish. Even though people in Nurmo disagreed, the Finnish Senate allowed Seinäjoki to form its own chapel group in 1863.

Seinäjoki gained its own local government in 1868. By 1900, it became a fully independent municipality.

The Importance of Railways

Seinäjoki grew a lot because of its important railway connections. The railway connecting Tampere and Vaasa opened in 1883 and passed through Seinäjoki.

Later, the Kokkola track opened in 1885, and the Kristinestad track in 1913. These railways made Seinäjoki a very important railway hub in Finland. In the early 1970s, a direct railway between Tampere and Seinäjoki was built, which helped the city even more.

After the Winter War and Continuation War, some people who had to leave their homes in Jaakkima and Lumivaara moved to Seinäjoki.

Geography and Landscape

A map showing main roads and villages in Seinäjoki.

Seinäjoki is surrounded by several other municipalities. To the north is Kauhava, and to the northeast is Lapua. To the east are Kuortane and Alavus. South of Seinäjoki are Virrat and Kihniö. To the west are Ilmajoki and Kurikka, and to the northwest is Isokyrö.

There isn't a lot of water in the Seinäjoki area. The Seinäjoki River flows through the city from southeast to northwest. It then joins the Kyrönjoki River, which flows into the Gulf of Bothnia near Vaasa.

The main roads in Seinäjoki are highways 16, 18 (connecting Vaasa and Jyväskylä), 19, and 67.

Seinäjoki's Climate

Seinäjoki experiences a typical northern climate with cold winters and mild summers.

People and Languages in Seinäjoki

Population Size and Growth

The city of Seinäjoki has 66,160 people living in it. This makes it the 16th most populated municipality in Finland. The larger Seinäjoki region has a population of 131,808 people.

About 4.6% of the people in Seinäjoki have a foreign background. This number is lower than the average for all of Finland.

Languages Spoken in Seinäjoki

Population by mother tongue (2023)      Finnish (95.3%)     Ukrainian (0.6%)     Russian (0.5%)     English (0.3%)     Arabic (0.3%)     Estonian (0.3%)     Swedish (0.2%)     Other (2.5%)

Seinäjoki is mostly a Finnish-speaking city. Most people, about 95.3% of the population, speak Finnish as their first language.

A smaller number of people, 0.2% of the population, speak Swedish. About 4.5% of the people in Seinäjoki speak a language other than Finnish or Swedish as their first language.

Since English and Swedish are taught in schools, many people can speak more than one language. At least 30 different languages are spoken in Seinäjoki. The most common foreign languages are Ukrainian (0.6%), Russian (0.5%), English (0.3%), Arabic (0.3%), and Estonian (0.3%).

People from Other Countries

Population by country of birth (2022)
Nationality	Population	%
Finland	62,819	96.2
Sweden	308	0.5
Thailand	164	0.3
Estonia	159	0.2
Soviet Union	142	0.2
Russia	113	0.2
Turkey	111	0.2
Iraq	94	0.1
Ukraine	87	0.1
Sri Lanka	70	0.1
Syria	64	0.1
Other	1,192	1.8

As of 2023, there were 3,036 people in Seinäjoki who had a background from another country. This is about 4.6% of the total population. The number of people born outside Finland was 3,180, which is 4.8% of the population.

Most foreign-born residents came from Sweden, Thailand, Estonia, and the former Soviet Union. The percentage of immigrants in Seinäjoki is lower than the national average for Finland. However, more and more new residents are coming from other countries each year.

Religious Groups

In 2023, the Evangelical Lutheran Church was the largest religious group in Seinäjoki. About 76.7% of the population belonged to this church. Other religious groups made up 2.1% of the population. About 21.2% of the people in Seinäjoki did not have a religious affiliation.

Economy and Business

Interior of the Torikeskus shopping center.

Nordic Regional Airlines has its finance office in Seinäjoki. The city is also known for its large food production and research industry. For example, the food company Atria Corporation is based in Seinäjoki. In 2009, Atria made over 1.3 billion Euros in sales and employed more than 6,200 people.

A study from 2018 showed that business leaders think Seinäjoki is one of the best cities in Finland for companies. Seinäjoki also has many small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). It has a large number of shops for its size. One of the most important shopping places in Seinäjoki is the Torikeskus shopping mall in the city center.

Culture and Events

Seinäjoki hosts many cultural events throughout the year. The city is famous for three big summer events:

• Tangomarkkinat is a tango festival that attracts over 100,000 visitors every year.
• Vauhtiajot is an event that combines motor racing with a music festival.
• Provinssirock is one of the biggest and oldest rock festivals in Finland.

Rytmikorjaamo is a popular rock club where Finnish and international artists perform almost every weekend. Seinäjoki also has other bars and clubs with live music and entertainment. The city theatre offers many plays throughout the year. The city orchestra performs concerts locally and on tours.

Sports in Seinäjoki

Seinäjoki Arena [fi], a multi-purpose hall in Jouppila, Seinäjoki.

Seinäjoki is home to many sports clubs. SJK Seinäjoki is a professional football team that plays in the Finnish Veikkausliiga. SJK is one of the top football teams in Finland and plays at the new OmaSp Stadion.

The Seinäjoki Crocodiles are an American football team. Seinäjoki also has a motorcycle speedway track. This track has hosted important races, including the final of the Finnish Individual Speedway Championship many times.

Seinäjoen JymyJussit (men's team) and Seinäjoen Maila-Jussit (women's team) play in the national Superpesis league. They play at the Seinäjoki Pesäpallo Stadium.

Places to See in Seinäjoki

• Lakeuden Risti Church ("The Cross of the Plains")
• Alvar Aalto's cultural and administrative center, which includes the City Hall, library, and theatre
• The Mannerheim Park
• The Southern Ostrobothnia District Museum
• The Civil Guard and Lotta Svärd Museum, located at the Seinäjoki Civil Guard House
• Törnävä church
• The railway exhibition
• Mallaskoski brewery

Other Interesting Spots

• Törnävä Museum Area
• The Suviyö trotting-race
• Törnävä summer theatre – Seinäjoki
• Jouppi mountain winter sports center
• Seinäjoki City Theatre
• Provinssirock
• Tangomarkkinat
• Vauhtiajot

Education and Learning

Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences (SeAMK) is the local higher education institution. It is known for its international focus.

Notable People from Seinäjoki

• Jukka Hildén, stuntman, The Dudesons
• Antti Isotalo, jäger, tribal warrior
• Katja Kankaanpää, mixed martial artist
• Mari Kiviniemi, politician (Prime Minister of Finland 2010—2011)
• Paula Koivuniemi, singer
• Petri Kontiola, hockey player
• Pekka Koskela, speed skater
• Jarno Laasala, stuntman, The Dudesons
• Hannu Lahtinen, world wrestling champion
• Veli Lampi, soccer player
• Jarppi Leppälä, stuntman, The Dudesons
• Tapio Luoma, Archbishop
• Jorma Ollila, former Chairman and CEO of Nokia Corporation
• Hannu-Pekka "HP" Parviainen, snowboarder, stuntman, The Dudesons
• Pekka Puska, public health researcher and official
• Paula Risikko, Member of Parliament and Minister
• Arto Saari, skateboarder
• Softengine, rock pop band

International Connections

Twin Towns and Sister Cities

Seinäjoki has special connections with these cities around the world:

• Koszalin, Poland
• Schweinfurt, Germany
• Sopron, Hungary
• Melitopol, Ukraine
• Jiangjin District, China

Images for kids

• 

  Panorama image of Seinäjoki

See also

In Spanish: Seinäjoki para niños