Editing Vantaa (section)

===20th century to today===
[[File:Asematie Tikkurila 1957.jpg|thumb|right|Tikkurila along the Asematie street in 1957.]]
[[File:KehaIII vantaa2.jpg|thumb|right|A view of the [[Ring III]] beltway near the conncection to Kirkonkylä at the intersection to [[Finnish national road 45]], the largest intersection in Finland.]]
Electricity started replacing steam as an industrial power source in ''Helsingin maalaiskunta'' before [[World War I]]. The power station ''Oy Malmin Sähkölaitos Ab'' was founded in 1910, and another power station was founded in Oulunkylä in the following year. Malmin sähkölaitos, which had reached a central position, bought a lot from [[Tapanila]] for its new power plant. Construction of the power plant and distribution grid, led by [[Gottfried Strömberg]], was finished by the end of the year 1910.<ref name="litzén"/>{{rp|113–114}}

The [[Helsinki-Malmi Airport]] was built at [[Tattarinsuo]] in the Malmi area of ''Helsingin maalaiskunta'' in 1936. The soil in the area was very watery and converting it to an airfield was difficult. The airport was taken into use in December 1936. Before this, air traffic in Helsinki had been served by the [[Santahamina Airport]] in [[Santahamina]], which was also part of ''Helsingin maalaiskunta'' at the time.

During the great annexation of 1946 the municipalities of [[Huopalahti]], [[Oulunkylä]] and [[Kulosaari]] as well as about a third of the area of ''Helsingin maalaiskunta'' were annexed to the city of Helsinki. The rural municipality lost two thirds of its population, including [[Malmi, Helsinki|Malmi]] and [[Pitäjänmäki]]. In 1954 some of the areas of [[Korso]] in [[Tuusula]] and [[Kerava]] were annexed to the rural municipality of Helsinki, as well as a small part of Tuusula in 1959. [[Vuosaari]] was annexed to Helsinki in 1966.

The population development of ''Helsingin maalaiskunta'' grew rapidly after [[World War II]]. [[Tikkurila]] became the new municipal centre in the 1950s. New residential areas consisting mainly of detached houses developed among the main roads and new suburban centres developed along the railways running through the area, such as [[Rekola, Vantaa|Rekola]], [[Korso]] and [[Koivukylä]].

In 1952, the new [[Helsinki Airport|international airport]] of Helsinki opened in ''Helsingin maalaiskunta'' for the [[1952 Summer Olympics]], leading to the rural municipality becoming an important transport hub. The new airport split the municipality in half and brought large amounts of traffic and industry to its surroundings. The airport has become a significant part of the cityscape of Vantaa, and even today Vantaa is known abroad as an aviation city.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100611172749/http://www.sovereign-publications.com/vantaa.htm Vantaa – Logistics Excellence with Business Park Approach], city of Vantaa. Accessed on 9 September 2020.</ref>

Because of [[World War II]], many new urban areas had been born in Vantaa already in the 1940s, populated mainly by [[evacuation of Finnish Karelia|evacuees from Finnish Karelia]] and [[veteran|frontline soldiers]], as well as Helsinkians seeking a less densely populated area to live in. The first apartment building groups were built in Tikkurila, [[Satomäki]] and [[Vaarala]] in the 1950s, after which [[rural flight]] sped up construction of apartment buildings. In the record year 1970, the population of Vantaa grew by ten thousand people.

The [[Keimola Motor Stadium]] was built in 1966 along Finnish National Road 3, opposite the residential area of [[Kivistö]], and remained in operation until 1978. Construction of the new [[Keimolanmäki]] residential area in place of the former race track started in the 2010s.

In the early 20th century, the majority of the population of ''Helsingin maalaiskunta'' was Swedish-speaking. Afterwards, the rapid increase in the population has brought much more primarily Finnish-speaking population to the city, and today only 3.1 percent of the population in Vantaa are Swedish-speaking.

The roads in Finland were widened in the 1960s and 1970s, and the [[Ring III]] beltway was built to connect five national roads with each other. [[Myyrmäki]] became a second centre in the area after the construction of the Martinlaakso railway, which also sped up development in southwestern Vantaa. New residential suburbs were born along the main railway in the 1960s to 1980s, sped up by rural flight. Areas left outside the main traffic connections, such as [[Seutula]] in the west and [[Sotunki]] in the east, were left mainly unbuilt and rural-oriented.

In 1972, the municipality was renamed ''Vantaa'' ({{langx|sv|Vanda}}) and promoted to a kauppala ([[market town]]) (i.e. ''Vantaan kauppala/Vanda köping''). In 1974, the town got full city rights as ''Vantaan kaupunki/Vanda stad'' or "City of Vantaa".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vantaa.fi/fi/tietoa_vantaasta/vantaan_historiaa|title=Vantaan kaupunki – Vantaan historiaa |website=Vantaa.fi |access-date=16 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217013048/http://www.vantaa.fi/fi/tietoa_vantaasta/vantaan_historiaa|archive-date=2015-02-17|url-status=dead}}</ref> The name "Vantaa" comes from the river Vantaa running through the city, along which settlement in the Vantaa area was originally centred. The 650th anniversary of Vantaa was celebrated in 2001.<ref name="historiaa"/>

The city grew rapidly starting from 1960s and a railway line was built to the western side of the city in 1970s.

Since the days of the rural municipality, Vantaa has rapidly developed to its current form because of [[rural flight]] and good traffic connections. Like the neighbouring city of [[Espoo]], Vantaa has many suburban [[commuter town]]s and lacks a specific city centre. The [[Helsinki Airport]], the busiest airport in Finland by far, is located in central Vantaa.

In 2015, an extension to the existing railway line, the [[Ring Rail Line]] opened, providing service to the airport and new residential and working districts. Along the ring road, new residential were constructed. The largest of these developments is the Kivistö suburb followed by the residential districts of Leinelä and Aviapolis. The Ring Rail Line connects the Vantaankoski railway to the [[Finnish Main Line]] via the [[Helsinki Airport]] at [[Hiekkaharju]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150721224725if_/http://portal.liikennevirasto.fi/sivu/www/f/hankkeet/kaynnissa/keharata/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/viimeinenvuosikayntiin#.Va7MBHXnjeM Kehäradalla käynnistyy viimeinen rakennusvuosi], Finnish Traffic Administration, 13 June 2014. Accessed 7 December 2014.</ref>

The annual [[Beer floating]] summer event started in Vantaa in 1997. On 11 October 2002, an [[Myyrmanni bombing|explosion]] took place in the [[Myyrmanni]] shopping centre in Myyrmäki. Negotiations to resolve the [[Insurgency in Aceh|Aceh conflict]], led by former [[President of Finland]] [[Martti Ahtisaari]], were held in the [[Köningstedt Manor]] in Vantaa in early 2005.

To connect the municipality on the west–east, a new tramway is planned to open in 2030.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vantaa.fi/ratikka|title=Vantaan ratikka}}</ref> This tramway will run from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport through districts of Pakkala, Aviapolis and Koivuhaka to the administrative centre of Tikkurila and further onward to Hakkila and Länsimäki in the east. The tram will also provide a link to the Helsinki metro at Mellunmäki station. This tramline will be the first tram in Vantaa.