Seinäjoki is a city in Finland and the provincial center of
Southern Ostrobothnia, located on both sides of the river of the
same name. The population of Seinäjoki is 63,913 (June 30, 2020).
Seinäjoki is the provincial center with the longest continuous
population growth in Finland. The city’s population has grown every
year since the early 1950s.
The Seinäjoki area originally
belonged to the parish of Ilmajoki. With Östermyra's Rautaruukki, a
regional industrial and settlement center was created in the Törnävä
region in the 19th century. Seinäjoki gained independent municipal
administration in 1868. With the Ostrobothnian line, a station
village was created in Seinäjoki, which later developed into a
densely populated community. In 1931, Seinäjoki was divided into a
township and a rural municipality. In 1960, the countryside and the
township merged into the city of Seinäjoki, which was one of the
first six so-called from the new city. Peräseinäjoki joined the
Seinäjoki River in 2005 and Nurmo and Ylistaro in 2009.
On
the southern edge of the center of Seinäjoki, the cityscape is
dominated by a building group designed by Alvar Aalto, the
Aaltokeskus, which consists of the Lakeuden Rist Church, the town
hall, the two-part main library and the city theater. The Seinäjoki
has been described as a spiritual crossroads where the effects of
several different awakening movements have been met.
Seinäjoki has a strong SME field and a diverse industry
distribution. The city is considered the number one city for
entrepreneurship. In 2020, Seinäjoki was awarded for the third time
in a row as the best entrepreneurial city in the series of large
cities. Ideapark Seinäjoki, located in Joupi in Seinäjoki, is the
seventh largest shopping center in Finland.
The city is also
known as a city of events and sports. The biggest annual events are
the Seinäjoki Tango Market, the Province, the Speed Tracks and the
Solar Sound Festival. The sports teams playing in the main series
are the floorball teams Seinäjoki Brothers and Nurmon Jymy. Nurmon
Jymy also plays in the women's volleyball championship league.
Seinäjoki Football Club plays in the Football Veikkausliiga, and
Seinäjoki JymyJussi and Seinäjoki Maila-Jussi play in the
Superpesis. The regional newspaper Ilkka-Pohjalainen and the city
newspapers Epari and Seinäjoki Sanomat are published in Seinäjoki.
Seinäjoki is the administrative center of Southern Ostrobothnia.
The city is home to e.g. The Association of Southern Ostrobothnia,
the Southern Ostrobothnia ELY Center, the Southern Ostrobothnia
Employment and Economic Development Office and the provincial
central hospital. Of the government agencies, the Food Agency is
located in Seinäjoki. Research and education in the city are
provided by Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences and Seinäjoki
University Center. The University of Applied Sciences and the
University Center operate in the business and technology center
Fram, which is located in the city center and also has about a
hundred companies. Supported by a network of researchers and
developers, Seinäjoki has developed into a business concentration of
agro-economy and food systems.