About Tampere
Manchester of Finland, or rather the Dubai of Finland?
Tampere is quite often called the “Manchester of Finland” due to the industrial history and large presence of textile manufacturing plants in the very heart of the city. This pet name has also echoed the mentality of our region: in order to get things done, one must work hard to achieve it. Nowadays the pet name has slightly changed, and some people have referred to the city as the “Dubai of Finland”, due to the rapid growth and large construction projects right in the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the “Five Star City Centre” program.
Tampere is a historic city with a vibrant but laid-back persona. Check out the headlines below for more detailed information.
Tampere was founded by Sweden’s young monarch, Gustavus III, in 1779. Tampere has a monumental industrial history: the Finlayson cotton mill was the first large-scale industrial enterprise in Finland and it was in fact in Finlayson’s factory hall that the first electric light in the Nordic countries was lit.
Through out its history Tampere city has been a pioneer in several fields. During over 200 years the city has developed from an industrial town into a modern centre of high technology and a gathering of theatre and study.
Tampere is the third largest city in Finland and the largest inland centre in the Nordic countries. Tampere scores highest as the most desirable place to live in among Finnish people. The city is famous for its industrial history, rock music, the local treat black sausage and high tech expertise.
The city is growing rapidly, but hasn’t lost its laid-back small town rock n’ roll atmosphere.
Currently there are close to 240 000 inhabitants in Tampere, a city surrounded by two major lakes – lake Näsijärvi and lake Pyhäjärvi. In total close to half a million people live in Tampere Region, which comprises Tampere and its neighbouring municipalities. The capital area of Helsinki is just 170 kilometres south of Tampere.
Tampere is one of the three most rapidly developing regions in Finland. It is a centre of leading-edge technology, research, education, culture, sports and business. With global companies and the Tampere University and close to 30 000 students make Tampere Region a wanted, admired and valued centre of international know-how.
Tampere is being heavily developed further to accommodate future housing and transportation needs, but it has maintained its unique easygoing atmosphere. New city districts and a tram system are being built. The city has an airport with ever increasing numbers of connections to Helsinki, Lapland, Scandinavia, the Baltics and continental Europe.
Click here to have alook at how Tampere and its people look in the pictures.
Click here to compare cost of living in Tampere.
Click here to access Infopankki, a wealth of information about Tampere.
Tampere is currently under major development, both in the city center and in the suburban areas. The Five-star City Centre is one of the main development programmes in Tampere. See how the plans look like. A completely new residential area, Ranta-Tampella, is being developed very close to the city center, right by the Näsijärvi lake.
Outside the city center, new emerging areas include Hiedanranta, a future city district that is being developed with a new concept in collaboration with city residents, businesses and organisations.
Other growing areas include the Vuores district, which lies around 10 kilometres from the city centre. Vuores combines a proximity to nature, high-quality architecture, an ecological attitude, cutting-edge technological solutions, as well as small-town-like services.
Too pragmatic for perfectionism, you’ll find a laid-back version of the Finnish way of life. The region and the city of Tampere is functional and conveniently compact with clean nature and fresh lakes all around it. There’s room for everything and everyone – open attitudes to your dreams and aspirations.
The Tampere Region, or Pirkanmaa in Finnish, comprises of 22 municipalities with more than 512,000 residents in total. The area is fairly densely populated, with more than twice the average population density in Finland.
Each of the region’s municipalities, Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti and Ylöjärvi has its own unique qualities. Some say the only things Tampere lacks are an ocean, mountains, and a sense of self-importance. But what the city is not lacking is innovation. The city is developing at a record speed. Click here and redirect to Business Tampere – Tampere and surrounding municipalities
It’s easy to find something to do in Tampere all year round. A good variety of nature, culture, history, great food and sports keep visitors and locals busy.
The Visit Tampere website is a great source of activities and information on what is happening in Tampere right now. Click here and have a look what’s happening in Tampere.
Social media is also a good source for finding activities and events in Tampere. We recommend you to follow the Tampere Foreigners Facebook page for up to date info on events and other cool stuff. Just click here to enter the Facebook page.
