History

The town of Närpes as an administrational unit dates back to 1331, when the first records of Närpes parish  were made. About 1340 the Ostrobothnian coastal area had been divided into Närpes, Mustasaari (Korsholm) and Pedersöre. The Greater Närpes parish first included the following municipalities which later became independent: Sideby, Lappfjärd, Tjöck, Närpes, Övermark, Pörtom, Korsnäs, Petalax and Bergö. Even the presently completely Finnish-speaking Teuva, Isojoki and Karijoki also belonged to the parish as well as Kaskö/Kaskinen. When the towns of Kaskö and Kristinestad were founded and municipal administration was introduced the parish was divided into 14 independent municipal units. Municipal administration was established in Närpes in 1867. The present town limits were set up in 1973 when the municipalities of Närpes, Övermark, Pörtom and a part of Korsnäs formed a ”greater municipality”. The limits of the new municipality were finally adjusted when parts of northern Pörtom were transferred to Malax. By a presidential regulation the municipality of Närpes became a town on January 1, 1993.

Geography

There is good reason to regard Närpes as a coastal town. The length of the coast is 45 km, but the many bays and islands make the coastline totally about 700 km long. The town has a land area of 970 km. The population is concentrated to the so called coastal villages and to the Närpes River valley. The village structure is very stable. In addition to the centre there are 9 economical villages. The basic service in these villages has been a school, a shop and a post office. During the 1990s almost all post offices were closed and the service was outsourced. In the town centre the service level is high with tens of grocery stores and specialty shops, there are even a few large supermarkets. The state and municipal establishments are situated in the immediate vicinity of the centre.

Communications

The distances to bigger cities are as follows: Vasa 80 km, Pori 120 km, Seinäjoki 105 km, Helsinki 350 km and Turku 270 km. European highway 8 is 5 km from the centre of Närpes. Bus traffic is lively with about 30 daily arrivals and departures. The Kaskinen-Seinäjoki railroad passes through the city, the nearest freight station being in Kaskinen. The nearest railway station for passenger traffic is in Vaasa, as well as the nearest airport. The nearest port is in Kaskinen, 13 km from the centre of Närpes.

The Nordic Friendship and twin towns of Närpes

Akranes, Iceland
Bamble, Norway
Tönder, Denmark
Västervik, Sweden
Raivola, Russia

Population  31.12.2008    

                                  
Inhabitants                9,464                                 
Swedish                    87.62%    
 Finnish                      5.73%
 Other languages        6.66%

Age structure   

0-14 years          13.6%              
15-64 years        61.2%
>65 years           25.2%

Employment    31.12.2007              

Total jobs   4,493
Agriculture and forestry       24.7%           
Industry and construction   24.1%
Service  49.%