Com­pa­red to Hel­sin­ki, Joen­suu is a cycling success

Joen­suu is a city built for exerci­se freaks and cul­tu­re lovers. Joen­suu has also ear­ned prai­se for its cycling oppor­tu­ni­ties. “In Joen­suu, in fact, eve­ryt­hing is wit­hin cycling dis­tance,” says Joen­suu retur­nee Han­na Joo­sia.

35-year-old Joen­suu nati­ve Han­na Joo­sia left her birth town four years ago to stu­dy com­mu­ni­ty peda­go­gy in Jyväs­ky­lä. Hanna’s son, who was eight years old at the time, moved with her.

Hanna’s stu­dies kept her away from Joen­suu for three years, but even­tual­ly, fami­ly ties brought her back home.

“After gra­dua­ting, I ini­tial­ly applied for jobs all over the count­ry. My son had moved back to Joen­suu to live with his fat­her the year befo­re and, of cour­se, I wan­ted to be near him.”

Work and fami­ly in Joen­suu

Han­na found emplo­y­ment as a wel­fa­re super­vi­sor for the City of Joen­suu. When Hanna’s son was 11 years old, grand­pa­rents and friends in Joen­suu influenced his deci­sion to move back to the city.

“I can see myself living in Joen­suu for the rest of my days, but at some point it would be nice to try and live somew­he­re else,” Han­na says.

Han­na prai­ses Joen­suu’s ver­sa­ti­le oppor­tu­ni­ties for hob­bies and exerci­se.

“The­re’s plen­ty to do here. “My son loves riding e‑scooters, which is pos­sible at, for example, the Joen­suu Sports Cent­re.”

Han­na paragli­des in her spa­re time. Local paragli­ding sites inclu­de the Ski Cent­re Mus­ta­vaa­ra slo­pe and the Kitee Air­port, which is only a half-hour dri­ve away.

“Having a skiing slo­pe wit­hin 20 minu­tes’ dri­ving dis­tance is a major advan­ta­ge.”

Han­na Joo­sia belie­ves that having a skiing slo­pe a mere 20 minu­tes’ dri­ve away is a major advan­ta­ge for Joen­suu.

A para­di­se for exerci­se freaks

Accor­ding to Han­na, Joen­suu is a para­di­se for exerci­se and sports ent­husiasts, as the­re is plen­ty to do both out­doors and in the local sports cent­res.

And if you’re not that fond of exerci­se, accor­ding to Han­na, Joen­suu offers a rich cul­tu­re sce­ne.

“The city theat­re, concerts and fes­ti­vals,” Han­na lists the avai­lable expe­riences for cul­tu­re lovers.

The cycling oppor­tu­ni­ties are also to Hanna’s liking, and com­pa­red to Hel­sin­ki, for example, cycling has been made easy here.

“In Joen­suu, in fact, eve­ryt­hing is wit­hin cycling dis­tance. I live in Mar­ja­la, and my com­mu­te by bike is only ten minu­tes. The­re is hard­ly any traf­fic con­ges­tion eit­her, save for around the train sta­tion.”