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  Atsugi is located in the middle of Kanagawa Prefecture. The farmers of the area practice horticulture, raise ordinary crops, and livestock by making maximum use of the suburban location. The use of modern machines and facilities leads to high levels of productivity. The agricultural area is divided into a cultivated, gently undulating zone in the southeast and the hilly zone in the northwest. Paddy fields are located along six large and small rivers such as the Sagamigawa river. To access the paddy fields, farm roads and irrigation canals have been constructed as part of the agricultural land infrastructure. The farmland that is the basis of agricultural production tends to diminish year after year with the expansion of the city accompanied by the concentration of the population and the promotion of industry and commerce. Housing development also brings pressure to bear on the farmland. Farming is thus shifting away from being based on ordinary crops to sectional management based on horticulture. Atsugi is promoting the expansion of agriculture that caters to tourists, as well a the consumption of agricultural products in local communities through morning and evening markets and at retail stores in the local communities. This improves stability in farming, forms active local communities, and promotes urban agriculture. Moreover, we provide allotment gardens for our citizens, farms for interchange, and farming experience for elementary school children and citizens as a whole. Our goal is for all our citizens to be familiar with urban agriculture.  Since the opening of the Atsugi interchange of the Tomei Expressway, a wide-area traffic network has been laid out and developed with the construction of main roads. Also, the Odakyu Hon-Atsugi station has been opened. Large stores have appeared both downtown and in the suburbs. In this way, retailing has increased dramatically. Within Atsugi, the area immediately around Hon-Atsugi station and its environs have prospered and become the commercial center of Atsugi thanks to the redevelopment and construction of the streets, as well as the construction of facilities related to commerce such as new sidewalks and the installation of public art. Also, these urban shopping areas provide a new forum for communities to get together with the holding of special events. We will continue to promote the building of people-friendly communities in the central city area to provide a "pedestrian-friendly and cultured area" as well as a "community space where safety is assured." At the same time, we will support the building of shopping zones that are popular with the community by providing safety and amenities, as well as a commercial environment that supports both large and small-to-medium-sized shops.  In about 1955, when Atsugi first became a city, a factory invitation ordinance was enacted, accompanied by the execution of the "metropolitan area development law." Blue-chip firms were aggressively encouraged to move in to the area. In addition, private companies invested in plant and equipment such that the area developed quickly. Against this background, many large factories were opened. With the opening of the Atsugi interchange of the Tomei Expressway in 1968, and the construction of Routes 246 and 129, access to the Tokyo metropolitan area improved even further. Thus, Atsugi developed as a major urban area both in terms of industry and transportation. Since the 1980's, many electronics-related technical research and development laboratories have established themselves, mainly in the Morinosato district. The trend is shifting from production- or manufacturing-oriented factories to research and development-related and urban industry-related facilities, and is becoming a trademark of the industry in Atsugi.
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