The central Hokkaido district, to which Chitose belongs, has a population of 3.4 million, or about 60% of Hokkaido's total. Sapporo, the nation's fifth-largest city (1.8 million), Kitahiroshima and Ishikari, residential suburbs of Sapporo with expanding populations, Ebetsu and Eniwa with improved social foundations and Otaru with its unique history all are located within 60 km of Chitose, forming a major consumer market.