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Oulu sits 607 kilometers north of Helsinki, at latitude 65 degrees, and is the third northernmost city in the world with a population over 100,000. In midsummer it gets 22 hours of daylight. In midwinter it gets three and a half. This extreme range, which other cities would treat as a burden, Oulu has turned into a source of competitive civic pride. The city maintains over 950 kilometers of cycling paths, keeps them cleared of snow and ice through the winter, and claims a cycling commuter share of 12 percent even in January. The Winter Cycling Federation was founded here in 2013. The city simply does not accept that cold and dark mean staying home.

Oulu was founded in 1605 by King Charles IX of Sweden, destroyed by fire in 1822, and rebuilt by the architect Carl Ludvig Engel -- the same man who designed central Helsinki -- in a neoclassical plan that still gives the center its coherent character.

The 19th century brought wealth from wood tar and salmon, the late 20th century brought Nokia Networks and a technology campus that turned the city into one of Finland's significant IT centers. In 2026 Oulu holds the European Capital of Culture title, which has prompted a round of cultural investment and new venues across the city. The Air Guitar World Championships have been held here every year since 1996.