Quality of life in Aarhus

Aarhus (also written Århus and pronounced Oar-Hoos) is the main city on the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. With a population of over 330,000, it is Denmark's second largest city and has the youngest population.

Aarhus is known as "The City of Smiles" (Danish: Smilets By). This slogan probably started as publicity to improve the city's image, but it has nevertheless caught on. "City of Cafés" is another moniker the city wears with pride: its roster of coffeeshops exemplifies Aarhus' elegant mix of cosmopolitan city life and quaint small-town charm.

Being a university city and centre of education, Aarhus has a large student population and one of the lowest median ages of any city in Europe. The cultural scene here is always thriving: for a long time, Aarhus has been an incubator for Danish artists and performers, and it's also home to Aarhus Festuge, Scandinavia's largest cultural festival, held annually for 10 days at the end of August. But that's not the only thing that's on the rise: Aarhus, along with the East Jutland Metropolitan area for which it serves as the central hub, is the fastest-growing area in Denmark in terms of population, with a huge building boom underway and new high-rises sprouting like mushrooms on the skyline. Little wonder, then, that Aarhus was selected as 2017's European Capital of Culture, with a full slate of events on tap all year throughout the entire city and region.