Raisio

This article is about the town in Finland. For the company, see Raisio Group.

Raisio
Town
Raision kaupunki
Market place in Raisio Market place in Raisio
Coat of arms
Location of Raisio in Finland Location of Raisio in Finland
Country	Finland
Region	Southwest Finland
Sub-region	Turku sub-region
First records	1292
City rights	1974
Government
• Town manager	Ari Korhonen
Area (2011-01-01)
• Total	50.06 km2 (19.33 sq mi)
• Land	48.76 km2 (18.83 sq mi)
• Water	1.3 km2 (0.5 sq mi)
Area rank	332nd largest in Finland
Population (2016-03-31)
• Total	24,330
• Rank	42nd 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.

History

The oldest known written records relating to Raisio are from the year 1292, and there is strong evidence of Iron 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.

Name

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.

Politics

Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Raisio:

• Social Democratic Party 24.2%
• National Coalition Party 22.0%
• True Finns 21.5%
• Left Alliance 12.8%
• Centre Party 5.6%
• Christian Democrats 4.9%
• Green League 4.9%
• Swedish People's Party 1.6%

Economy

The town's location on good traffic connections and near the region's capital has contributed greatly to its growth. Its main industries are services, foodstuffs and chemical manufacturing. The largest employer in the town is the Raisio Group, a manufacturer of foodstuffs, animal feed and health products.

Raisio is also home to the Mylly shopping centre, one of the largest in Scandinavia.

The town also has the third IKEA of Finland

The biggest employers in Raisio:

Company	Workers
Raisio City	1,294
Shopping center Mylly	1,000
Raisio Group	630
Deltamarin Oy	255
DNA Oy	230
Kaukora Oy	175
Multilift Oy	170
Turun Pelti ja Eristys Oy	over 100
Konepaja Häkkinen Oy	85
Orsap Oy	80
Veho Oy	68 (+23)
Korhonen P O Oy	70
Trafomic Oy	70
Sähkö-Insto	60

Points of interest

The town of Raisio has many cultural venues, such as the Friisilä handicrafts center, which offers the visitor a glimpse at traditional Finnish arts and crafts. The cultural center Harkko in the town center comprises an arts museum, an archaeological museum and a theatre. The city library and swimming center Ulpukka are also worth mentioning. In Raisio is also Finland's biggest middle school which is called "Vaisaaren yläkoulu".

Sister cities

Raisio is twinned with:

• Kingisepp, Russia
• Sigtuna, Sweden
• Csongrád, Hungary
• Elmshorn, Germany

External links

• Town of Raisio – Official website
• Raisio Group
• Mylly shopping center
• [1]