Editorial: Thank you all Vantaa residents

The time has come for me to extend my warmest thanks to all Vantaa residents for our cooperation over the past years as I am retiring from my role as the Mayor of Vantaa at the beginning of August.

As Mayor, it has been my pleasure to witness how much positive energy and community spirit we have. Vantaa is an open city that is always ready to welcome new residents.

I have enjoyed working with you all and want to express my gratitude for our excellent cooperation: thank you all Vantaa residents, thank you city staff, thank you stakeholders and thank you partners!

We cannot talk about Vantaa without mentioning growth. At the beginning of the 1960s, Vantaa only had 15,000 residents. We have since grown to become the fourth largest city in Finland, and today, Vantaa has more than 242,000 residents. The city will not stop, and continues to grow boldly. Our goal is to build a city that is increasingly urban but still looks after its residents; a city where we all feel at home and get to enjoy excellent services and interesting cultural offerings.

The City of Vantaa has both roots and wings. Vantaa has been a major Southern Finnish community for close to 700 years. The city has a strong history that dates back to the Middle Ages. At the same time, Vantaa is looking to the future and flying high. We have the only international airport in Finland, and the second largest economic area in the country has grown around it.

I myself have been living in Vantaa for my entire adult life and love it here! I feel grateful that I also get to end my working career here in my hometown. It is with joy – and a certain sense of sadness – that I hand over the baton to my successors!

Ritva Viljanen, Mayor

_{This article was published in Residents' magazine 2/2023. Read the other articles on the resident magazine home page!}