Chūō-ku is one of ten wards of the city of Saitama, in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, and is located in the northern part of the city., the ward had an estimated population of 98,881 and a population density of 11,790 persons per km². Its total area was. Despite its name, it is not the administrative or the commercial centre of the city, roles which are designated to Urawa-ku and Ōmiya-ku respectively.
Geography
Shape and Location
Chūō-ku is located to the west of the center of Saitama City, the capital of Saitama Prefecture. Chūō-ku is wedge-shaped with a southern tip. Measuring approximately 5.5 km in the north-south direction and approximately 3.5 km in the east-west direction, it has an area of 8.39 km2. Located on the Kantō Plain, Chūō-ku has a low elevation. Its lowest point, located at Ōto-nichōme, has an elevation of 4.7 m above sea level and its highest point, located at Suzuya-yonchōme, has an elevation of 16.6 m above sea level. The majority of rivers run north-south down the ward, consequently travelling east-west across the ward requires travelling across alternating regions of plateaus and depressions. The eastern-most of these plateaus is the Ōmiya-daichi, to the west of which lies the Kōnuma River which is at the centre of a 500-meter long depression. The Ōmiya-daichi continues to the west of this depression until it meets another depression due to the Arakawa River at the western-most point of the ward.
Land Use
482.9 hectares of the ward's 839 hectares is used as a residential area and consequently the entire ward was designated a "densely inhabited district" in 2005. Despite the apparent lack of farming areas, some can be seen on either side of the Kōnuma River where, on the eastern bank, the ward office, fire station and library are also located. The northern tip of the ward is part of the Saitama New Urban Center where the broad-based local government of the Kantō district and the Saitama Super Arena are located.
Neighboring Municipalities
Saitama Prefecture
Sakura-ku
Minami-ku
Urawa-ku
Ōmiya-ku
Climate
The average temperature between 2007 and 2011 was 15.4 °C with an average of 53 days of sun. In terms of precipitation, Chūō-ku saw an average of 1359 mm per year of precipitation between 2007 and 2011 with an average of 108 days of rain and 10 days of snow.
History
The town of Yono was created within Kitaadachi District, Saitama with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Plans to dissolve the town and merge with Urawa and Ōmiya were rejected by a referendum in 1955, and Yono was raised to city status on July 15, 1958. On May 1, 2001, Yono merged with Urawa and Ōmiya to form the new city of Saitama. When Saitama was proclaimed a designated city in 2003, the area of corresponding to former Yono city, with some minor border adjustments from former Ōmiya and Urawa cities became Chūō Ward.
