Toni Kankaanpää

Kankaanpää is a town and municipality of Finland. Kankaanpää was founded in 1865, became a township in 1967 and finally a town in 1972. It is located in the crossroads of Hämeenkangas and Pohjankangas ridges. It belongs to the region of Satakunta. Kankaanpää has a population of about 11,700 inhabitants.

First signs of humanity in the area are from the stone age and during the 16th century people started to settle in Kankaanpää area. Oldest houses that area found from the documents of Sweden-Finland are from the 1560 decade.

The oldest passage in the province was from Hämeenkyrö through the ridges to Kauhajoki. In the 17th century it was the most important road between southern Finland and Ostrobothnia. The king of Sweden visited Kankaanpää twice. Gustavus Adolphus travelled from Ilmajoki to Hämeenlinna through Kankaanpää in 1614 and Adolf Fredrik had a rest in Kuninkaanlähde spring to water his horses and to eat in 1752. The spring was named after this event.

Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Kankaanpää:

• True Finns 37.2%
• Centre Party 25.5%
• National Coalition Party 11.8%
• Social Democratic Party 10.6%
• Left Alliance 7.7%
• Christian Democrats 4.4%
• Green League 2.4%

Kankaanpää offers basic education with 12 elementary schools and a secondary school. There is also a trade school and a polytechnic school which will be abolished in near future. The Artillery School in the Artillery Brigade provides university-level education for all future career artillery officers.

Kankaanpää town museum is presenting the life in Kankaanpää during the last 100 years.

The following weather chart is from Niinisalo, a garrison village in Kankaanpää.

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kankaanpää is twinned with:

• Bollnäs, Sweden
• Flekkefjord, Norway
• Gagra, Georgia
• Misburg-Hannover, Germany
• Morsø Municipality, Denmark

Military cemetery at church in Kankaanpää

• Elwood (Finnish musician), demoscene musician
• Cristal Snow, musician
• Toni Vilander (1980–), racing driver