[citation needed] The city's present day population primarily consists of ethnic Croats at 93.8%, with the largest minority being Romani at 3.8% of the municipality.

[5] The period of more significant economic and cultural growth of Čakovec is considered to have started on 15 March 1546, when Nikola IV Zrinski of Szigetvár became the owner of the area.

When count Johann Michael von Althan became the owner of Međimurje in 1719, the next year Čakovec and the whole region was detached from Croatia and included into Zala county (i.e. into the main part of the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary).

It again became part of Hungary between 1941-45 during World War II, until it was returned on 6 April 1945 by the Soviet Red Army with Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin in command.

In 1999, a brand new fitness complex including four indoor swimming pools and a jacuzzi was opened as part of the city's center for sports and recreation.

Although Čakovec is a small city by global parameters, its large working force which comes from all over the county, its location and importance in the region caused many traffic jams on the crossroads.

The Teacher's Training College (Croatian: Visoka učiteljska škola) is the city's only institution for higher education that lasts more than 3 years.

In recent years, the city opened its own institution of higher education called MEV - Međimursko veleučilište u Čakovcu (Polytechnic of Međimurje in Čakovec), offering 3-year studies (180 ECTS points) in Computer Science and Management of Tourism and Sport.

The city of Čakovec has a highly developed industry and it is the focal point for communication, business, trade and education in the Međimurje County.

Other landmark buildings in the town centre are a palace built in the Vienna Secession style (Secesijska palača), and Saint Nicholas' Church (Crkva Svetog Nikole).

The Southern Čakovec (Čakovečki jug) is a relatively new neighborhood, with modern houses and buildings including the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua (Crkva Svetog Antuna Padovanskog) and a new elementary school with a sports hall, outdoor basketball and handball grounds and a running track.

The road infrastructure is good and includes a new expressway connecting the Hungary border-crossing point in Goričan with Zagreb, Karlovac and the Adriatic Sea coast.

In the adjacent village of Pribislavec there's a small sports airport, where an annual aero-meeting takes place, as well as panoramic flights over the city and county in the summer.

Bjelovar, Bjelovar-BilogoraSlavonski Brod, Brod-PosavinaDubrovnik, Dubrovnik-NeretvaPazin, Istria Karlovac, KarlovacKoprivnica, Koprivnica-KriževciKrapina, Krapina-ZagorjeGospić, Lika-Senj Čakovec, MeđimurjeOsijek, Osijek-BaranjaPožega, Požega-SlavoniaRijeka, Primorje-Gorski Kotar Sisak, Sisak-MoslavinaSplit, Split-DalmatiaŠibenik, Šibenik-KninVaraždin, Varaždin Virovitica, Virovitica-PodravinaVukovar, Vukovar-SrijemZadar, ZadarZagreb, Zagreb