It is bordered to the north by the Ring III beltway, the west by the Tuusulanväylä highway, and south and east by the Helsinki neighbourhood of Siltamäki.

The district is regarded as an important cultural and historic site, as it remains one of the best preserved parishes in southern Finland and the original settlement within Greater Helsinki.

[2] In terms of land area, the district is the smallest in all of Vantaa, covering a total of 0.7 square kilometres (0.27 sq mi).

The Church of St. Lawrence was established in the mid-15th century as the center of the parish, and remains the oldest building in all of Greater Helsinki.

The mining of ore deposits around Malmi gradually transferred industry and housing toward central Vantaa, leaving Helsingin pitäjän kirkonkylä a sparsely populated historical site.