Raisio | ||
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Town | ||
Raision kaupunki | ||
Market place in Raisio
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Location of Raisio in Finland |
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Coordinates: 60°29′N 022°10′E / 60.483°N 22.167°ECoordinates: 60°29′N 022°10′E / 60.483°N 22.167°E | ||
Country | Finland | |
Region | Southwest Finland | |
Sub-region | Turku sub-region | |
First records | 1292 | |
City rights | 1974 | |
Government | ||
• Town manager | Ari Korhonen | |
Area (2016-01-01) | ||
• Total | 48.76 km2 (18.83 sq mi) | |
• Land | 48.76 km2 (18.83 sq mi) | |
• Water | 1.3 km2 (0.5 sq mi) | |
Area rank | 306th largest in Finland | |
Population (2016-03-31) | ||
• Total | 24,330 | |
• Rank | 43rd largest in Finland | |
• Density | 498.97/km2 (1,292.3/sq mi) | |
Population by native language | ||
• Finnish | 94.8% (official) | |
• Swedish | 1.3% | |
• Others | 3.9% | |
Population by age | ||
• 0 to 14 | 17.3% | |
• 15 to 64 | 66.6% | |
• 65 or older | 16.1% | |
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
• Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | |
Municipal tax rate | 17.5% | |
Climate | Dfb | |
Website | www.raisio.fi |
Raisio (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈrɑisio]; Swedish: Reso) is a town and municipality in south-western Finland and an important junction of major roads. The town has a population of 24,330 (31 March 2016) and is located in the region of Southwest Finland, neighbouring the region's capital, Turku. The town's land area is 48.76 km2 (18.83 sq mi), and has about 5 kilometres (3 mi) of coastline to the Bay of Raisio on its southern tip.
The oldest known written records relating to Raisio are from the year 1292, and there is strong evidence of Stone Age settlement in the area, but Raisio did not become a city until 1974. Until the late 20th century, this was an agricultural area. The success of the Raisio Group transformed it into an industrial centre, and triggered a huge increase in population – during the 20th century the population of Raisio grew elevenfold. The town's existence was under threat, as Turku was planning on merging Raisio to it. This changed after Raisio Group became a successful company.
The name Raisio was originally given to its river, Raisionjoki. The earliest form of the river's name is Raisajoki, meaning "marsh/bog river", and etymological evidence of this can be seen in the Estonian word raisnik, meaning "peatland meadow". Another theory behind the etymology of the name Raisio is that it comes from the word raiskio, meaning a forest that's been damaged by poor foresting, because the Raisio landscape was changed due to sloughs and post-glacial rebound after the Ice Age.