Westend, Espoo

Westend is a district of the city of Espoo, Finland. It is located next to Tapiola and about ten kilometers from the center of Helsinki. From Westend you can get to Helsinki along Länsiväylä (National road 51). Known as an affluent area, Westend is the wealthiest postal code area of Finland by mean household income.[2] In 2019, the area was home to more than 3,000 residents.[1]

For other uses, see Westend (disambiguation).
Westend
District of Espoo
The Westend beach on a September evening
Location of Westend within Espoo
Coordinates: 60°10′N 24°48′E
CountryFinland
MunicipalityEspoo
RegionUusimaa
Sub-regionGreater Helsinki
Main DistrictSuur-Tapiola
Inner District(s)Westend
Population
 (2018-12-31)[1]
 • Total3,078
Languages
 • Finnish80.9 %
 • Swedish15.3 %
 • Other3.9 %
Jobs632

Westend is a part of the "Greater Tapiola" district, which also comprises Haukilahti, Laajalahti, Mankkaa, Niittykumpu, Otaniemi, Pohjois-Tapiola and Tapiola.

There are other wealthy neighborhoods with the same name in the UK and the US. The most well known example being West End of London.[3]

Contrary to the district's name, Westend is located in the very southeastern corner of Espoo, west from the Helsinki city centre, by the shore of the Gulf of Finland. Westend also comprises some islands on the coast.

History

Before Southern Espoo was heavily developed in the latter part of the 20th century, the village of Hiirala (Swedish: Hirböle) occupied the area. There are also old trenches in the area, built during the First World War for defending Helsinki from a possible German invasion.

The fencing events of the 1952 Olympic Games were hosted in Westend tennis hall. The tennis hall later served as a school building before being destroyed in a fire in 1967.

See also

References
  1. "Espoon asukasluku vuodenvaihteessa 2018/2019" (PDF) (in Finnish). City of Espoo. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  2. Honkanen, Veera (July 7, 2014). "Suomen rikkaat ja köyhät asuvat Espoossa". Taloussanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  3. "visitlondon.com". 11 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)


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