As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 13,597 and the density of 105 persons per km². The total area is 129.88 km². The city was once a prosperous coal-mining city, its population reaching 59,430 in 1960. The population has been gradually declining.
History
1891 Settlement begins
1918 Moshiri Coal Mine opens
1922 Second-class municipality Akabira Village split off of first-class municipality Utashinai
1929 Akabira becomes a First-Class municipality
1937 Shōwa Denkō Toyosato Mine opened
1938 Sumitomo Coal Mine, Hokkaido Coal Mine Railroad and Akama Coal Mine opened
1943 Akabira Village becomes Akabira Town
July 1, 1954 Akabira Town becomes Akabira City
1967 Shōwa Denkō Toyosato Mine closesd
1969 Moshiri Coal Mine closed
1973 Akama Coal Mine closed
1994 Sumitomo Coal Mine closed
2003 Mid-Sorachi Merger Committee established.
2007 A major elementary school in Akabira closed down. It once had about 5000 students but has dropped rapidly after the closure of the coal mines.
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