Jyväskylä

Encyclopedia : J : JY : JYV : Jyväskylä

Jyväskylän kaupunki
Jyväskylä Stad

City Jyväskylä (1837)
Administrative Province Western Finland
Region Central Finland
Historical Province Häme

Area
- Total
- Land
- Water Ranked 383rd
136,9 km²
105,9 km²
31 km²
Population
- Total (2004-12-31)
- Density Ranked 9th
83,582
610/km²
Time zone Helsinki, Riga, Tallinn: UTC+2

**Jyväskylän kaupunki**
**Jyväskylä Stad**

City	Jyväskylä (1837)
Administrative Province	Western Finland
Region	Central Finland
Historical Province	Häme
Area - Total - Land - Water	Ranked 383rd 136,9 km² 105,9 km² 31 km²
Population - Total (2004-12-31) - Density	Ranked 9th 83,582 610/km²
Time zone	Helsinki, Riga, Tallinn: UTC+2

Jyväskylä (IPA: /'jyʋæsˌkylæ/) is a city located in central Finland, 140 km from Tampere and 270 km from Helsinki, near Lake Päijänne and Lake Keitele. It is the center of the Region of Jyväskylä, which has a population of 161,400 people. Due to having been the site of many education-related "firsts" in Finland, it is known as a city of schools and the Athens of Finland, and is also famous for its many buildings designed by Alvar Aalto and for hosting Neste Rally Finland, which is part of the World Rally Championship.

At the end of 2004, Jyväskylä had a population of 83,582, while the Region of Jyväskylä had 163,420 inhabitants. The leaders of Jyväskylä have long proposed that Jyväskylän maalaiskunta (the rural municipality of Jyväskylä) should unite with the city, but Jyväskylä's economic problems, due to it´s small supply of high income housing, have been mentioned to be the reason for the insignificant willingness in Jyväskylän maalaiskunta to form a larger unit. In many studies and social statistics Jyväskylä can be seen in the lists of socially most problematic Finnish cities, which also makes a rapid municipal union unlikely. The inhabitants live in the surrounding municipalities, but use the services of Jyväskylä. Thus the Jyväskylä region is often mentioned as a place of occupance. The region includes Jyväskylä, Jyväskylän maalaiskunta, Laukaa, Muurame and Toivakka.

The city mayor is currently Markku Andersson.

According to a wide imago survey (done every second year), Jyväskylä was still one of the most successful cities in Finland. In 2006 Jyväskylä was number two (after Tampere) as the most wanted city to live in Finland The city was also believed to be the best growth milieu for children and the cosiest living environment. However, because of the small geographical size of the town, the living expenses have been rising and people have been moving to the surrounding municipalities located only few kilometres from Jyväskylä, thus causing the tax revenue to shift as well.

During the 1990's and 2000's, the city has become somewhat notorious for crime and social problems. Specifically, the frequency of violent crimes is remarkably higher than the average among Finnish cities.

Contents

1 Education
2 History
3 Numerical data on Jyväskylä
4 Twin towns
5 Trivia
6 External links

Education

A number of firsts in Finnish education have taken place in Jyväskylä:

The first Finnish-speaking Lyceum (High School) (1858)
The first Finnish-speaking teacher training college (1863)
The first Finnish-speaking school for girls (1864)
Finland's first Summer University (1914)

Due to this, among other things, the city earned the nickname Athens of Finland.

The teacher training college later evolved into the College of Education (1934) and further into the multidisciplinary University of Jyväskylä (1966).

The University of Jyväskylä is one of the most popular universities in Finland. Almost 15,000 students are enrolled to study for a Bachelor's or Master's degree, and the university also offers PhD programs in most of its subjects. Historically, the university has excelled in the study of education, but in the last few decades it has also gained respect in the sciences. It is the only university in Finland offering university-level education in sports, training sports teachers and coaches.

History

Jyväskylä was founded in 1837 by Nicholas I of Russia and it was essentially built from scratch. The original town was built between Lake Jyväsjärvi (which is connected to Lake Päijänne) and the Jyväskylä ridge (Harju), and consisted of most of the current grid-style city centre. In the early 20th Century, the town expanded several times. Most of today's Jyväskylä was built after the war, when refugees from Karelia and other parts of the country moved to the city and housing was badly needed. Today, Jyväskylä is growing by approx. 1,000 inhabitants/year.

Numerical data on Jyväskylä

Founded 22 March 1837
Population in the city proper: 83,582 (2004)
Population in the urban area: 163,420 (Jyväskylän seutu) (2004)
Area: 136.9 km²
Population density: 610/km²

Twin towns

Trivia

An asteroid, 1500 Jyväskylä, was named after the town by its Finnish discoverer, Yrjö Väisälä.

External links

[City of Jyväskylä] - Official International version of the site
[Jyväskylä Forum] - forum in English for foreigners in Jyväskylä
[Jyväskylä Human technology city - magazine]
[Map of Jyväskylä]

Municipalities of Central Finland

Central Finland | Western Finland | Finland

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