Forssa is a city in southwestern Häme, Finland, located in the
western part of Kanta-Häme province. The city is the center of the
Forssa region.
Of the three cities in Kanta-Häme, Forssa is
the smallest with about 16,900 inhabitants. Among Finnish
municipalities, Forssa is the 67th largest in terms of population.
The population is concentrated in the central part of Forssa,
located in the southern part of the city's administrative area, and
in the northern parts there are fewer rural settlements in the area
of the former Koijärvi municipality.
Forssa covers an area
of 253.38 square kilometers and has an average population density
of about 68 inhabitants per square kilometer. The share of water
bodies in the area is small, but an important element in the
cityscape is the Loimijoki, at the beginning of which the city is
located. Other significant water bodies are Kaukjärvi, partly
located in Forssa, and Koijärvi, known as the birthplace of the
green movement.
The neighboring municipalities of Forssa are
Jokioinen in the west, Tammela in the east and south, Humppila and
Urjala in the north. In addition to the city of Forssa, the Forssa
region includes Jokioinen, Tammela, Humppila and Ypäjä. In addition
to the above-mentioned municipalities, Somero and Urjala are also
included in the Southwest Häme region. Forssa's location in the
middle of the Helsinki – Turku – Tampere triangle is sometimes
considered ideal, as business trips to the country's largest cities
are fast. The distance to Helsinki is 110, to Tampere 87 and to
Turku 88 kilometers.
Forssa grew and developed in the 19th
century with the growth of the textile industry. In the mid-20th
century, the city grew hardly at all between the world wars. A new
period of growth began in the 1960s, driven by the construction
industry. Since then, the city’s growth has stalled as industry has
begun to downsize. Today, the food industry is a major employer.
Forssa had its largest population in the mid-1980s, when the
city had just over 20,000 inhabitants for two years. By 1994, the
population had declined by a few hundred, but since then the
population decline had accelerated. By the end of 2005, Forssa had
lost more than 2,000 inhabitants compared to the peak years. In
2008, the city’s population grew for the first time since 1993.
Since 2010, the population has declined again, reaching about 17,300
in 2016.