Hiratsuka developed as a post town along the Tōkaidō (“Eastern Sea Road”)—the main historic land route between Edo (Tokyo) and Kyōto—during the Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603–1867). When a railway between Tokyo and Kōbe was opened in 1887, a commercial centre developed around the railroad station in the eastern part of the city. The city’s northern sector is industrialized, with rubber, chemical, machinery, automobile, and food-processing plants. The surrounding agricultural region produces vegetables and dairy cattle. Much farmland in the area has been used for large housing projects for commuters to the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area. Hiratsuka’s annual Star Festival is renowned. Pop. (2010) 260,780; (2015) 258,227.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.