Kemi is peaceful city in Northern Finland with est. 22 000 residents. Originally Kemi was an industrial city with two paper factories nearby; Botnia (nowadays Metsä-Group) and Stora Enso. In 1976 we got a large stainless steel manufacturer called Outokumpu near us which still has a major effect on our economy. Outokumpu has a mine in Kemi, but their factory lays about 30 kilometers to north from us in Tornio. In recent years the possibility of employment in factories is decreasing so our biggest employer is trade and services sector.
Educational services are offered by Lappia Vocational College, Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences, local workers’ colleges and open colleges. We also have a lot of refreshment services open throughout the year for example a theatre, city orchestra, regional art museum, indoor swimming pool, ice stadium, indoor football ground, golf course and a yachting centre. We have possibilities to have many kinds of hobbies, for example music and sports.
Kemi is famous of its Snowcastle and Sampo icebreaker. People have visited them from all over the world. We have also a beautiful harbour where you can watch the sea and have a drink for example. In the middle of city there is a nice little pedestrian street which is surrounded by local shops, bars and a movie theater. Around the city there is plenty of beautiful nature throughout the year for example parks, lakes and forests, which provide way of get rid off stress.