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Seinäjoki is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) east ofVaasa, 178 kilometres (111 mi) north ofTampere, 193 kilometres (120 mi) west ofJyväskylä and 324 kilometres (201 mi) southwest ofOulu.
Seinäjoki originated around theÖstermyra bruk iron and gunpowder factories founded in 1798. Seinäjoki became amunicipality in 1868, amarket town in 1931, and atown in 1960. In 2005, the municipality ofPeräseinäjoki was merged into Seinäjoki,[6] and at the start of 2009, the neighbouring municipalities ofNurmo andYlistaro were amalgamated with Seinäjoki. The city itself is growing steadily from year to year, but the population of the surrounding municipalities is correspondingly decreasing.[7]
Thecity hall, city library,Lakeuden Risti Church and other public buildings were designed by Alvar Aalto. Seinäjoki was historically calledÖstermyra inSwedish. Today, this name, which was never official, is very seldom used even among Swedish speakers.Seinäjoki Airport is located in the neighbouring municipality ofIlmajoki, 11 kilometres (10 mi) south from the Seinäjoki city centre. Seinäjoki railway station in city centre was opened in 1883 and until 1897, it carried the name Ostermyra station.
The settlement spread in the area of the present Seinäjoki during the first half of the 16th century. During the 1550s, there is said to have been three houses in Seinäjoki: the houses of Marttila, Jouppi and Uppa. The house of Jouppila, which separated from the house of Jouppi, was established during the same century. All of the houses were located on the shore of the river.
Seinäjoki belonged to the church parish ofIlmajoki likeKurikka,Kauhajoki,Jalasjärvi andAlavus. However, in the 18th century the roads from Seinäjoki to the Church of Ilmajoki were generally in poor condition. Therefore, the inhabitants of Seinäjoki and the neighbouringNurmo built a new chapel together in 1725, which in 1765 led to the formation of the chapel town of Nurmo. Seinäjoki, which was calledAlaseinäjoki since theGreater Wrath, became a part of the chapel town. The chapel parish ofPeräseinäjoki was founded in 1798, and the village of Alaseinäjoki began to be called Seinäjoki again. The very same year, the Östermyra steel mill was founded on the shore of the Seinäjoki river.
In the 1850s, actions were taken to separate Seinäjoki from the church parish of Nurmo. Ilmajoki wanted to connect Seinäjoki back to its own parish. In spite of strong objections from the inhabitants of Nurmo, the Senate of Finland accepted the petition from the inhabitants of Seinäjoki in 1863, to form a chapel congregation of their own. Seinäjoki got an independent local government in 1868. In 1900, Seinäjoki became an independent municipality.
Seinäjoki has grown around a few important railroad crossings. TheTampere–Vaasa railway, which passes through Seinäjoki, was inaugurated in 1883. The track, along with theKokkola track that was opened for rail service in 1885, and theKristinestad track which had been completed in 1913, raised Seinäjoki as an important railway crossing section in Finland. In the early 1970s, a direct railway between Tampere and Seinäjoki was opened, and the services of Seinäjoki improved further.
After theWinter War and Continuation War, some refugees fromJaakkima andLumivaara were resettled to Seinäjoki.
The proportion of water in the Seinäjoki landscape is small. Seinäjoki River flows through the city in a south-east-northwest direction and turns at the northern border of the city center, connecting with theKyrönjoki River,[8] which flows into theGulf of Bothnia in theVaasa area.
The most significant road connections in Seinäjoki are highways16,18 (between cities ofVaasa andJyväskylä),19 and67.
The city of Seinäjoki has 66,848 inhabitants, making it the 16th most populous municipality in Finland. TheSeinäjoki region has a population of 132,173.
Population size of Seinäjoki (and merged municipalities) 1990–2020[12]
Seinäjoki is a monolingualFinnish-speaking municipality. As of 2024[update], the majority of the population, 62,894 persons (94.4%), spoke Finnish as their first language. In addition, the number ofSwedish speakers was 152 persons (0.2%) of the population. Foreign languages were spoken by5.3% of the population.[13] AsEnglish andSwedish are compulsory school subjects, functional bilingualism or trilingualism acquired through language studies is not uncommon.
At least 30 different languages are spoken in Seinäjoki. The most common foreign languages areUkrainian (0.8%),Russian (0.5%),English (0.4%),Arabic (0.3%) andSinhala (0.3%).[13]
As of 2024[update], there were 3,651 persons with a foreign background living in Seinäjoki, or 6% of the population.[note 1] The number of residents who were born abroad was 3,738, or 6% of the population. The number of persons with foreign citizenship living in Seinäjoki was 2,714. Most foreign-born citizens came fromUkraine, the formerSoviet Union,Sweden andSri Lanka.[13]
The relative share of immigrants in Seinäjoki's population is below to the national average. However, the city's new residents are increasingly of foreign origin. This will increase the proportion of foreign residents in the coming years.
In 2023, theEvangelical Lutheran Church was the largest religious group with 76.7% of the population of Seinäjoki. Other religious groups accounted for 2.1% of the population. 21.2% of the population had no religious affiliation.[15]
In terms of market area, Seinäjoki is the sixth largest city in the country.[18] Also Seinäjoki has a nationally and internationally significant food production and R&D industry. Headquartered in Seinäjoki food companyAtria Corporation's net sales in 2009 were EUR 1316 million and it employed an average of 6,214 persons in several countries. According to a study published by the Economic Survey at the end of 2018, Seinäjoki has the best image among corporate leaders among the 36 largest Finnish cities and municipalities. The survey had asked theCEOs andCFOs of companies operating in the area about the municipality's affairs.[19]
Seinäjoki also is well known for having a large number of SME's and a big number of shops for its size. One of the most important shopping places in Seinäjoki is theTorikeskus shopping mall in the city center.
There are many kinds of cultural events in Seinäjoki nowadays. For example, Seinäjoki is known for hosting three large summer events:Tangomarkkinat, which is atango festival typically attracting more than 100,000 visitors annually,Vauhtiajot, which is a motor racing event/music festival, andProvinssirock, which is one of the largest and oldest rock festivals in Finland. Rytmikorjaamo is a popular rock club, wherein almost every weekend some Finnish or international artists perform. In Seinäjoki there are also several other bars and clubs offering live music and other entertainment. The city theatre of Seinäjoki has a wide, quality program throughout the year, offering plays for everyone. The city orchestra of Seinäjoki performs many concerts in the area and has had many tours in Finland and abroad.
Seinäjoki is home to a big number of sports clubs, such asSJK Seinäjoki, a professional football team that competes in the FinnishVeikkausliiga. SJK is one of the top football teams in Finland and it plays in the brand newOmaSp Stadion. Seinäjoki is also home toSeinäjoki Crocodiles, anAmerican football team.
