municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
of
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, founded in 1576 through a separation from
Isokyrö
Isokyrö (; ) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the South Ostrobothnia region, from Vaasa. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .
In the name of the municip ...
and
Korsholm
Korsholm (; ) is a municipality in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Korsholm is situated in Ostrobothnia (administrative region), Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Korsholm is approximately , while the Va ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
. The municipality has a population of 8,020 (Jul 31, 2020) and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Laihia consists of 37 villages.
Laihia is within the economical region of the neighbouring city
Vaasa
Vaasa (; , ), formerly (1855-1917) known as Nikolaistad (; ),Finnish. Only people speak Swedish as a native language. Most inhabitants speak Finnish or a dialect typical of this region. The municipal manager is Juha Rikala. There are a total of 469 farms in the municipality..
Laihia is located along the international tourist route Blue Highway, which goes from
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
to
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
via
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and Finland.
People
In Finland, Laihians are renowned for their stinginess (, , , or ) and there are hundreds of jokes told about them. However, Laihians are not usually offended by it. To the contrary, they are proud of their frugality and even have a Museum of Stinginess (''Nuukuuren museo''). In any case, Laihia has high-level public services for education, health, sports, seniors etc.
Notable people
*
Santeri Alkio
Santeri Alkio (born Aleksander Filander; 17 June 1862 – 24 July 1930) was a Finnish politician, author and journalist. He is also considered to be the ideological father of the Finnish Centre Party.
History
Alkio was born in Laihia; his p ...
, politician and journalist
*
Mark Hoppus
Mark Allan Hoppus (born March 15, 1972) is an American musician and record producer. He is the co-lead vocalist, co-founder, and bassist for the rock band Blink-182 and the only member to appear on every album.
Hoppus became interested in ska ...
(born 1972), American singer and musician, of Finnish descent through great-grandparents who emigrated from Laihia
*
Toivo Kärki
Toivo Pietari Johannes Kärki (; 3 December 1915 – 30 April 1992) was a Finnish composer, musician, music producer and arranger. He is especially remembered for his collaboration with Reino Helismaa
Reino Vihtori "Repe" Helismaa (12 Jul ...
, musician
* Matti Vanhala,
Bank of Finland
The Bank of Finland (, ) is the national central bank for Finland within the Eurosystem. It was the Finnish central bank from 1865 to 1998, issuing the markka. It views itself as the fourth oldest surviving central bank in the world, after Swed ...
Governor 1998–2004
* Keijo Suila, former CEO of
Finnair
Finnair Plc (, ) is the flag carrier and largest full-service legacy airline of Finland, with headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its airline hub, hub. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both domestic and international ...
Sara Siipola
Sara Siipola (born 24 March 1997) is a Finnish singer and songwriter. She signed a recording contract with Sony Music in 2019 and released her first single "Rohkee sydän" in September 2019. Siipola rose to fourth place in YleX's Läpimurto 2020 ...
(born in Laihia 1997), singer
Surnames
The most common surnames in Laihia and their frequencies as of 2014:Most common surnames in Laihia /ref>
* 1.
Kallio
Kallio (; ; literally " the rock") is a district and a neighbourhood in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, located on the eastern side of the Helsinki peninsula about one kilometre north from the city centre. It is one of the most densely pop ...
(1:112)
* 2.
Puska
Puska is a village in Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serb ...
Mäkinen
Mäkinen is a surname of Virtanen type originating in Finland (in Finnish, ''mäki'' means "hill"), where it is the fourth most common"Most common surnames"Mäkelä
Mäkelä is a surname originating in Finland (in Finnish language, Finnish, it means "hill farm"), where it is the fifth most common"Most common surnames"
(1:159)
* 10. Kankaanpää (1:163)
Transport
The private
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
company OnniBus route Helsinki—Seinäjoki—Vaasa has a stop at Laihia.