Life in Tampere

[Valentin]

Hello, I will be going to Tampere University of Technology which is in Hervanta. Can someone tell me if it's safe there compared to Helsinki? Someone said that Hervanta is a "ghetto" which got me a little worried.

Thanks

[Rosamunda]

It is a high-rise area with a relatively high population (by Finnish standards) - mostly students and young families. I wouldn't call it a ghetto.

Public transport is good so you don't have to live in Hervanta itself. In fact you will probably find it very difficult to rent accommodation in Hervanta anyway. I queued up to visit several flats with my son when he moved to Tampere and the queues in Hervanta were the longest and it isn't even that much cheaper than Tampere itself.

[Beep_Boop]

Honestly, there aren't any places in Finland that you'd consider unsafe. Whoever told you that, they're just trying to scare you. I've lived in multiple Finnish cities (latest of which is Helsinki) and I saw no indications of safety problems.

[riku2]

Hervanta. Can someone tell me if it's safe there compared to Helsinki?

what makes you think helsinki is safe? cities in finland have higher crime than the countryside. in the countryside people leave their front door key on a hook so that relatives can let themselves in and self service flower shops have no staff and a box to put the money in for flowers that you buy. Do you see bars on apartment windows anywhere in finland or electric fences around people's gardens?

Even the most "dangerous" places in finland are nothing by international standards. if Finns think that Hervanta is dangerous then what would they make of Johannesburg or the rougher parts of the Bronx?

[Kössi K]

The people calling Hervanta a ghetto were either joking or trying to scare you for no good reason. Or they've lived in fairy-dust pink fluffy castles all their lives, i.e. out of touch with reality. Hervanta is, as someone said, a normal suburb with apartment buldings (I also wouldn't call them high-rises..), has lots of student flats and families. TOAS (Tampere student housing org.) has flats there, for example, so any student will fit right in. Many of their apartment buildings are relatively new, too.

There's also a shopping centre, with the usual supermarkets, pizzerias, shops, student health centre, etc.
Hervanta is also one area with lots of office complexes for large companies, like Nokia/MS, in a complex called Hermia Technopolis. And for example the Police Academy, in addition to the TUT.

Hervanta used to have a worse reputation in the late '70's - '80's perhaps, but even then, on any international standard, it was nowhere near anything that could be labelled a ghetto. There are worse areas in Finland, also in Tampere, but none can seriously be called a ghetto, in all honesty.
If wanted a nice area to live in, in Tampere (having lived there for years, and still have friends living there), the areas I might avoid - and even here it varies based on where exactly in the area your housing is: - some areas of Nekala, Tesoma, Multisilta, Kalkku, Kaukajärvi. There are worse streets/blocks in these areas, but also really nice (and expensive) areas, just as well.
That said, my single-parent friend with 2 kids lived in Kaukajärvi, and those buildings around them weren't that bad either.
Just some house clusters/blocks always seem to gather the 'social housing' problems because that's how the social welfare offices here work. They usually have certain apartment buildings in some suburbs in each town where they place the welfare housing flats to rent for/appoint their customers. Usually rentwise cheaper areas outside the town centre. And still, none of these, are like the "Projects" in the States, for example.

Most areas are better than their reputations, as people tend to exaggerate. And as mentioned, it much depends on the apartment block, the street, etc. that just get unlucky with, let's say, less calm or heavily drinking inclined neighbours, for example.

Oh yeah: anyone looking into certain areas where they want to move, it's a good idea to take a virtual walk around on google maps street view. That will give you a good view of the streets, buildings and surrounding areas. I've done that myself for years now, and even though it won't show everything in back alleys, it still will give a pretty good glimpse of the overall views.

[Valentin]

Hmm ok thanks for replying, guys. I was reading this page about TUT:
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Tamper ... 463521.htm

and one former employee says "The campus is in Hervanta, which is basically a large concrete ghetto (with all negative implications)." I'm not sure if "concrete ghetto" means something other than what it sounds like, but it's that guy's comment what made me a little worried.

[Beep_Boop]

As we know, it's always good to base your life decisions on one comment you read online.

[Valentin]

Come on, I didn't believe it; I just wanted to make sure. The statement sounded reputable as it came from someone who was apparently a former employee of the university and lived there.

[Upphew]

Come on, I didn't believe it; I just wanted to make sure. The statement sounded reputable as it came from someone who was apparently a former employee of the university and lived there.

It is a ghetto to Finn who would prefer his own red house with vegetable garden and no neighbours to be seen or heard.

[mdn]

As a person who lives in Hervanta for more than 7 years already - I am agree, it is a ghetto in a meaning that you really can live here for years and do not leave it at all, almost every service is available inside Hervanta (TE-keskus is moved away, but still). No need to go to the city center at all.
Of course there are a lot of rivitalo/omakotitalo here, on edges.
Anyway, what is an 'immigrant place'?
Helsinki has about 12 percents of immigrants.
And Hervanta has twice more immigrants than Tampere average. 10%.
Even less than in Helsinki. And of course it is much safer than Helsinki, as it is almost small 'town'.

[burak25]

Only problem you may say about Hervanta is drunk Teekkaris making too much sound in some locations. (Especially Mikontalo). It is pretty great place to live otherwise, and all those ghetto stuff are !"#¤% somehow some Finns still believe. (like they have never been to Hervanta and still judge it somehow. Funny)

[Upphew]

Only problem you may say about Hervanta is drunk Teekkaris making too much sound in some locations. (Especially Mikontalo). It is pretty great place to live otherwise, and all those ghetto stuff are !"#¤% somehow some Finns still believe. (like they have never been to Hervanta and still judge it somehow. Funny)

http://naurunappula.com/1267187/hervant ... rnobyl.png

edit. I haven't been to hervanta