From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Valka district (Latvian: Valkas rajons) is in Latvia. The district's area is 2441 sq. km. The population is 32,498 inhabitants in 2005. The district contains 4 towns and 17 parishes. The towns are: Valka (6459), Smiltene (5996), Strenči (1474), and Seda (1692).
As with most of Latvia, there is a tendency of depopulation in the Valka district. The economical development of the district is disbalanced, with Smiltene developing far quicker than the other towns and parishes locally. There are voices from Riga demanding administrative reform uniting the towns with their neighbouring parishes. That reform could help the development of the parishes, but will clearly slowdown the development of the towns. Smiltene would be particularly affected, because many parishes want to consolidate with Smiltene rather than other towns, as Smiltene is the only town locally making a positive balance in its budget and net migration.
