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Toyota
Toyota; 豊田
	— Core city —
豊田市 · Toyota
	Downtown skyline
	; Flag
	; Flag
	Location of Toyota in Aichi
	; Toyota
	Coordinates: 35°5′N 137°9′E / 35.083°N 137.15°E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu
Prefecture	Aichi
	Government
- Mayor	Kōhei Suzuki
	Area
- Total	918.47 km2 (354.6 sq mi)
Population; (October 1, 2005)	411,137
- Density	447.63/km2 (1,159.4/sq mi)
	City Symbols
- Tree	zelkova
- Flower	Sunflower
Website	City of Toyota
Phone number	0565-31-1212
	Address 3-60 Nishimachi, Toyota-shi, Aichi-ken; 471-8501

Toyota City Hall

Toyota (豊田市, Toyota-shi^?) is a city located in the Mikawa region of Aichi, Japan, east of Nagoya.

[edit] Koromo and Toyota

The town of Koromo (挙母市), the predecessor of present day Toyota, was a major producer of silk and prospered in the Mikawa region from the Meiji Era through the Taishō period. As the demand for raw silk declined in Japan and abroad, the town entered a period of gradual decline. The decline encouraged Kiichiro Toyoda, cousin of Eiji Toyoda, to look for alternatives to the family's automatic loom manufacturing business. The search led to the founding of what became the Toyota Motor Corporation.

The town gained the status of a city on March 1, 1951. The town changed its name to Toyota in 1959, and one year later, became the sister city of another automotive city, Detroit, Michigan. Toyota-shi is also twinned with the County of Derbyshire, England, where Toyota operates a manufacturing plant.

On March 25, 2005, Expo 2005 opened with its main site in Nagakute and additional activity in Seto and Toyota. The Expo continued until September 25, 2005.

[edit] Transport

The closest Shinkansen station is Mikawa-Anjō station (often simply referred to as Anjo), but residents of Toyota usually use Nagoya station because Nozomi and Hikari do not stop at Mikawa-Anjo.

[edit] History

Tokugawa Ieyasu, who became the first of 15 Tokugawa shoguns, was a member of the Matsudaira clan, who derived its name from a village of the same name, now part of Toyota.

March 1, 1951: The town of Koromo from Nishikamo District gained city status.
September 30, 1956: The city absorbed the village of Takahashi from Nishikamo District.
January 1, 1959: The city changed its name to Toyota.
1960: The city became a sister city with Detroit, Michigan, United States.
March 1, 1964: The city absorbed the town of Kamigo from Hekikai District.
March 1965: The sunflower became the city's flower.
September 1, 1965: The city absorbed the town of Takaoka from Hekikai District.
April 1, 1967: The city absorbed the town of Sanage from Nishikamo District.
1968: The inaugural Toyota Festival was held.
April 1, 1970: The city absorbed the village of Matsudaira from Higashikamo District.
1979: The Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu) opened the Toyota New Line (now Toyota Line).
1988: The Aichi Loop Line opened.
1998: The city became a Core City.
1999: The Toyota Ohashi opened.
2001: Toyota Stadium opened.
2005: Inabu from Higashikamo District became the current city of Toyota.