Hanhiperä

Hanhiperä was most likely named after the lake Hanhijärvi, which translates to "goose lake". The name may have been given by hunters who exploited the vicinity of the lake.^[5]

Hanhiperä was uninhabited hinterland of Keljo until the 19th century, when the first farms in the area were established during the Great Partition. The first farm to be established was Pirttimäki, which was separated from Sysmälä(inen), one of the oldest farms in Keljo, in 1805. This was followed by the establishment of Hanhikangas and Hanhimäki in 1815.^[7] Newer farms were established as tenure farms or as divisions of the original farms; for example, Hanhimäki was eventually divided into Lintula, Hanhiaho (Hanhela), Ylä-Hanhimäki, Hanhinotko, Koivula, Ahola^[8] and Välilä.^[9]

Hanhiperä was transferred from Jyväskylän maalaiskunta to the town of Jyväskylä in 1965 along with most other parts of Keljo. The area of Perälä still remained part of Jyväskylän mlk.^[2][10] The development of Perälä (formerly also Sulkaperä) into a distinct residential area began in the late 1980s. The settlement also extends into Vesanka and Muurame.^[11]

Since 2005, there have been plans to build a residential area in nearby Valkeamäki. The plan was accepted by the municipal government of Jyväskylä in 2012. The residential area is planned to provide housing for approximately 8,000 people, which may increase if the construction is extended towards Hanhiperä. The project has been opposed due to its potential effects on the local nature, especially since Siberian flying squirrels, which are endangered in Finland, live in the area.^[12]

As of 2023, five houses remain in Hanhiperä, with only one of them still having fields.^[2]

Agriculture and livestock were the traditional source of income in Taka-Keljo until the nationwide post-World War economic restructuring. Despite this, the Hanhikangas farm still owned a large cattle herd as late as the 1990s, the farm being one of two milk producers within the town of Jyväskylä at that time, the other one being Sulkula in Keljonkangas.^[13]

Hanhiperä also had a minor role in tar production between the 1940s and the 1950s, as resinous wood was felled in Hanhiperä, transported to Ruoke through the Hanhinotko valley and from there taken to the tar factory at Kuohu. Logging operations were also conducted in the area around the same time.^[14]

Hanhiperä never had a school of its own, instead children from the area attended the nearby Taka-Keljo school, which was established in 1931 and closed in 1967. Nowadays the area is part of the Keltinmäki school district.^[15]

Literature