Oulainen (Swedish: Oulainen, also Oulais) is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region, 101 kilometres (63 mi) south of the city of Oulu. The municipality has a population of 6,832 (31 December 2025)[2] and covers an area of 597.53 square kilometres (230.71 sq mi) of which 10.01 km2 (3.86 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 11.62 inhabitants per square kilometre (30.1/sq mi). Oulainen is founded in 1865, and it received township rights in 1977.
Oulainen | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Oulaisten kaupunki Oulainens stad | |
 The town center of Oulainen in 2017. | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Syntyy ja tapahtuu. | |
 Location of Oulainen in Finland | |
 Interactive map of Oulainen | |
| Coordinates: 64°16′N 024°49′E / 64.267°N 24.817°E | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region | North Ostrobothnia |
| Sub-region | Ylivieska |
| Charter | 1865 |
| City rights | 1977 |
| Government | |
| • Town manager | Riikka Moilanen |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 597.53 km2 (230.71 sq mi) |
| • Land | 587.84 km2 (226.97 sq mi) |
| • Water | 10.01 km2 (3.86 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 143rd largest in Finland |
| Population (2025-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 6,832 |
| • Rank | 134th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 11.62/km2 (30.1/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 97.3% (official) |
| • Others | 2.7% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 17.5% |
| • 15 to 64 | 54.9% |
| • 65 or older | 27.6% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | www |
The municipality is unilingually Finnish. The municipality has previously also been known as "Oulais" in Swedish documents, but is today referred to as "Oulainen" also in Swedish.[4]
Geography
editRailway station
editOulainen | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Rautatienkatu 8, 83600 Oulainen | ||||
| Coordinates | 64°16′10″N 24°49′17″E / 64.26953°N 24.82128°E | ||||
| System | VR Group station | ||||
| Owned by | Finnish Transport Agency | ||||
| Platforms | 3 | ||||
| Construction | |||||
| Structure type | ground station | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 1886 | ||||
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Oulainen railway station is located in the center of the town.[5] The station has three platforms each with designated boarding areas, a ticket vending machine, car parking and a bicycle stand.[6] It was opened in 1886.[7]
History
editOulainen was first mentioned in 1572 as Oulahais and as a part of the Pyhäjoki parish. A farm named Oulahainen was established earlier. The name comes from a dialectal word oulu meaning "flooding waters" (see also Oulu) and seems to suggest a Tavastian origin. Alpo Räisänen suggests that the name could be of Savonian or Karelian origin.[citation needed]
Oulainen became a chapel community in 1682, a parish in 1870, a kauppala in 1967 and a town in 1977.[8]
Events
editNotable annual events include the National Veteran Machines Fair (Waltakunnalliset Weteraanikonepäivät)[9] and Oulainen Music Weeks (Oulaisten Musiikkiviikot). Oulainen Music Weeks were organized for the twentieth time in 2006. The Oulainen Youth Choir (Oulaisten Nuorisokuoro) has received international acclaim.
Notable people
edit- Eeli Erkkilä, Minister and Member of Parliament
- Elsi Hetemäki-Olander, Member of Parliament
- Katja Hänninen, Member of Parliament
- Merja Kiviranta, triathlonist
- Rosa-Maria Ryyti, model and Miss Finland 2015 beauty pageant titleholder
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- 1 2 3 "Population growth slowed down in 2025". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 1 April 2026. ISSN 2243-3627. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ↑ Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus :: Kuntien nimet Archived 2011-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Oulainen railway station". www.vr.fi. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ↑ "Oulainen (station plan)" (pdf). Väylävirasto - Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ↑ Iltanen, Jussi (2009). Radan varrella: Suomen rautatieliikennepaikat (in Finnish) (2nd ed.). Helsinki: Karttakeskus. p. 153. ISBN 978-951-593-214-3.
- ↑ "SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf" (PDF). kaino.kotus.fi (in Finnish). p. 309+310. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ↑ "Waltakunnalliset Weteraanikonepäivät". Archived from the original on 7 September 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
External links
edit
Media related to Oulainen at Wikimedia Commons- Town of Oulainen – Official website (in Finnish)
- Oulainen Music Weeks Archived 27 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine
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