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Greetings, new Espoo resident

Welcome to your new home city!

Did you know this?

  • The Mayor of Espoo is Jukka Mäkelä.
  • We celebrated the 50th anniversary as a city in 2022, but the history of Espoo dates back to the 15th century.
  • Instead of just one centre, Espoo has five.
  • Espoo is a bilingual city, with English being established as the third service language.
  • Espoo residents value nature, and they don’t have to go far to enjoy it.
  • Espoo has more islands than Hawaii.
  • See how Espoo residents perceive their city

Living in Espoo

In Espoo, you are always close to nature. Forests cover nearly 60% of Espoo’s land area, and we have approximately 58 kilometres of shoreline. Espoo even has more islands than Hawaii, for example. Our city is also special because instead of just one, we have as many as five city centres: Leppävaara, Tapiola, Matinkylä-Olari, Espoonlahti and Espoon keskus.

To make it easier for you to find services in the vicinity of your new home, we have created a map service with information on daycare centres, schools, hospitals and health and dental centres in Espoo(external link, opens in a new window).

Read more about living in Espoo on our website.

Studying in Espoo

Higher education is offered by Aalto University(external link, opens in a new window), Laurea University of Applied Sciences(external link, opens in a new window) and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences(external link, opens in a new window), so there’s plenty to choose from.

Learn, discover and succeed at Omnia

Omnia is a versatile education provider and  expert on working life. With us you can study, for example, in vocational training or adult general upper secondary school, get support for employment and career guidance, participate in hobbies and learn at Espoo Adult Education Centre, or get a boost for your plans from workshop activities. Our campuses are located in Espoo and Kirkkonummi with good transport connections.

InfoOmnia helps you find a suitable service or training at info@omnia.fi or tel. +358 9 23198360.

Finding a job

Espoo is home to more than 680 international companies providing job opportunities, with important technology campuses in the Otaniemi and Keilaniemi areas forming the heart of Espoo’s innovation ecosystem.

Our employment services, Employment Espoo, will help you find your strengths and move forward in working life. Maybe your next job is with the City of Espoo? Read more about the job opportunities on offer and apply to work for the City of Espoo!

Being an entrepreneur in Espoo

Entrepreneurship is about the desire to evolve and develop something new, as well as the enthusiasm to realise your ideas and dreams. The Business Espoo business service network is there for you at all stages of your entrepreneurship. If you are still at square one and need coaching with your business idea, book a business advice appointment(external link, opens in a new window).

Getting around Espoo

Efficient public transport is an essential part of mobility in Espoo, with approximately 20% of Espoo citizens’ journeys taken by public transport. You can get around Espoo by bus, train, metro or city bike.

Helsinki Region Transport, commonly known as HSL, is responsible for organising public transport in Espoo. If you have a smartphone, we recommend downloading the HSL mobile app(external link, opens in a new window). This way, you will always have the ticket shop and Journey Planner with you.

From spring to autumn, you have access to city bikes that get you to your destination in an efficient and eco-friendly way(external link, opens in a new window). Espoo has a total of 105 city bike stations.

Leisure

Events and culture

Having friends play a big role in making one feel at home, and events provide good opportunities to meet new people. Our website compiles various events organised in Espoo. You can also get to know Espoo residents at various events organised by Helmet(external link, opens in a new window), the network of Helsinki Metropolitan Area libraries.

We recommend everyone to check out the diverse and high-quality cultural and leisure services on offer.

Outdoor activities and hobbies

Enjoy outdoors all year round! Enjoying nature is easy by, for example, exploring the nine nature trails maintained by the city. Nature trails provide a good overall view of the diverse and varied nature we have. In particular, we recommend you to check out Espoo archipelago and the archipelago boats, as well as the opportunities for outdoor recreation in Nuuksio(external link, opens in a new window) and Central Park. Our website includes a comprehensive listing of outdoor and indoor sports facilities and outdoor recreational routes.

If you moved to Espoo with a dog, check out the nearest dog parks on a map(external link, opens in a new window)!

How about starting a new hobby? You can explore the many hobbies and recreational opportunities available in Espoo through the Hobby search.

Many ways to participate and make a difference

As a citizen, you can participate in improving and making the city more attractive in various ways. The easiest way to have your say is to provide electronic feedback(external link, opens in a new window) through our website.

At the Meet the City! events, you get to meet our experts and participate in developing the city. You can also contact Marianne Julkunen (marianne.julkunen@espoo.fi), the Development Manager in charge of resident involvement, to discuss ways to increase or improve the opportunities for resident participation.

Take care of nature and make your surroundings more comfortable by participating in community efforts. You can also organise a community effort yourself. Community efforts can be organised to help a relative, acquaintance or neighbour, manage the affairs of the housing company or support the activities of a sports club, for example. A community effort is unpaid volunteer work that usually does not require specialist skills.

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