Chūō, Yamanashi



Chūō (中央市) is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 30,660 in 13,954 households, and a population density of 970 persons per km². The total area of the city is 31.69 sqkm.

Geography
Chūō is located near the geographic center of the Kōfu Plateau of central Yamanashi Prefecture, hence its name which means "centre" in Japanese. The Fuji River flows through the city.

Surrounding municipalities
Yamanashi Prefecture
 * Kōfu
 * Minami-Alps
 * Shōwa
 * Ichikawamisato

Climate
The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Chūō is 14.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1339 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.9 °C.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Chūō has recently plateaued after several decades of growth.

History
The modern city of Chūō was established on February 20, 2006, from the merger of the towns of Tamaho and Tatomi (both from Nakakoma District), and the village of Toyotomi (from Higashiyatsushiro District).

Government
Chūō has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members.

Economy
The economy of Chūō is dominated by agriculture, with rice, corn and tomatoes as the major cash crops.

Education

 * University of Yamanashi – Medical School campus
 * Chūō has six public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the city government. The city does not have any high schools.

Railway

 * JR logo (central).svg Central Japan Railway Company - Minobu Line
 * JR Central Minobu Line.svg Higashi-Hanawa - Koikawa

Highway

 * [[Image:JP Expressway E19.svg|24px|link=|alt=E19]] Chūō Expressway

Notable people from Chūō, Yamanashi

 * Masao Inoue, Japanese professional wrestler (Pro Wrestling Noah)
 * Hidehiro Sugai, Japanese footballer currently playing as a left-back for Kashima Antlers of J1 League
 * Shingo Takagi, Japanese professional wrestler (New Japan Pro-Wrestling)