is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 30,938 in 12,051 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 89 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Hirakawa is located in the mountains and hills to be northwest of

Lake Towada is the largest crater lake in Honshū island, Japan. Located on the border between Aomori and Akita prefectures, it lies 400 meters (1,800 ft) above sea level and is 327 m (1,073 ft) deep, drained by the Oirase river. With a s ...

. The Iwaki River flows through the city. Part of the city is within the borders of the Kuroishi Onsenkyō Prefectural Natural Park.

Neighbouring municipalities

Aomori Prefecture *Aomori (city), Aomori *Hirosaki, Aomori, Hirosaki *Kuroishi, Aomori, Kuroishi *Towada, Aomori, Towada *Minamitsugaru District, Aomori, Minamitsugaru District **Inakadate, Aomori, Inakadate **Owani, Aomori, Owani Akita Prefecture *Ōdate, Akita, Ōdate *Kosaka, Akita, Kosaka

Climate

The city has a cold humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification, Köppen ''Dfa'') characterized by warm short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hirasawa is 8.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1413 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.8 °C.

History

The area around Hirakawa was part of the Hirosaki Domain of the Tsugaru clan during the Edo period. After the Meiji Restoration, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, it became part of Minamitsugaru District, Aomori. The village of Onoe was raised to town status on April 1, 1937. The city of Hirakawa was established on January 1, 2006, from the merger of the towns of Hiraka, Aomori, Hiraka and Onoe, Aomori, Onoe, and the village of Ikarigaseki, Aomori, Ikarigaseki.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hirakawa has decreased steadily over the past 60 years.

Government

Hirakawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members. The city elects two members to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aomori 3rd district of the House of Representatives of Japan, lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Hirakawa is primarily agricultural, with rice and apples as the predominant crops. The city government is encouraging the development of highland vegetables and a local brand of beef.

Education

Hirakawa has nine public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Ōu Main Line * , Konan Testudo logo

Kōnan Railway Company - Kōnan Railway Kōnan Line * , , , ,

Highway

* : : : :

Local attractions

* Saruka Jinja * Seito shoin teien, National Place of Scenic Beauty * Seibi-en, National Place of Scenic Beauty *Kuroishi Onsenkyō Prefectural Natural Park *Nurukawa onsen *Ikarigaseki onsen *Hisayoshi Dam

References

External links

* {{Authority control Hirakawa, Aomori, Cities in Aomori Prefecture