Tomioka, Gunma


Tomioka is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2015, the city had an estimated population of 49,873, and a population density of 406 persons per km². Its total area is 122.85 km². It is the location of the Tomioka Silk Mill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Geography

Tomioka is located in the southwestern portion of Gunma Prefecture.
During the Edo period, the area of present-day Tomioka was part of the tenryō territory in Kōzuke Province under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. It became Tomioka Town within Kitakanra District, Gunma Prefecture on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration. In 1950 Kitakanra District was renamed Kanra District. On April 1, 1954, Tomioka annexed the neighboring town of Ichinomiya, and the villages of Ono, Kuroiwa, Takase, and Nukabe, and was raised to city status on November 1, 1958. On April 1, 1960 the village of Nyuu was incorporated into Tomioka. On March 27, 2006 Tomioka absorbed the neighboring town of Myōgi.

Economy

Tomioka has three public high schools, six public middle schools and 11 public elementary schools.

Transportation

Railway