Photographer Ville Suorsa enjoys everyday luxury in Kalajoki – many return to their childhood hometown to build a home in the top travel destination of Finnish summer
In the summer, everyone heads to Kalajoki to enjoy great events and spend their holiday in the midst of the town’s amazing holiday offering. Kalajoki has for years been among the top travel destinations in Finland.
Kalajoki is attractive also outside the holiday and summer season. In a recent study on the appeal of Finnish regional cities, Kalajoki was among the top performers when it came to how appealing a city was, and how well it held on to its residents: People who have moved to Kalajoki want to stay – and the ones who spent their childhood there, are moving back to build their home in familiar surroundings.
Well-functioning services and amazing free time activities right at your doorstep
Photographer and biologist Ville Suorsa moved to Kalajoki with his wife in 2018. Suorsa himself has lived in the Oulu region all his life, and his wife spent her childhood in Kalajoki, so choosing their new home town was easy.
– We both knew Kalajoki well, and liked it a lot. For a nature enthusiast like me, the region is obviously very attractive. I know a couple of other families who have returned and settled here after spending years in Southern Finland, says Suorsa.
The Suorsas’ new house is being built close to the center of Kalajoki, and will be ready in the fall of 2019. The processes around needed permits have been fluent.
– The services offered by the city of Kalajoki have worked very well, everything is electronic and there has been is no hassle.
In Kalajoki, the Suorsas enjoy everyday luxury. The town is just the right size: the service offering is extensive, and after the workday it’s a short trip to one of Finland’s most beautiful beaches, great events or activities in the seaside nature.
– My favourite places are the amazing nature oases in the Vasankari and Rahja areas, for example, and the Siiponjoki nature reserve. My favourite time of year is probably Spring. It’s great to watch the birds migrate in great numbers, as their flyway runs right through Kalajoki. There are a lot of great landscapes and things to photograph any time of year, though, says Suorsa.
A bike ride to the best events, quick access to cities around Northern Finland
Ville Suorsa feels that living in Kalajoki is easy, mostly because Kalajoki’s own destinations and events are close by, and travelling to the most important cities in the region is quick and smooth.
– On a summer evening, we often jump on our bikes and head to Hiekkasärkät, for example, to enjoy an event, or just the atmosphere in general.
As a biologist and photographer, Suorsa works all around Northern Finland. For this, Kalajoki is also an ideal place to live: in your free time, holiday landscapes and activities are close by, and work is quick to access from the town located at the crossroad of main highways.
– From Kalajoki, other cities in the region, like Kokkola, Ylivieska and Oulu, are very accessible. Work trips around Northern Finland are quick, and thanks to the fibre-optic broadband connection being built, remote work is very easy, Suorsa concludes.