Although it is the prefectural capital, the feature as a core city of Shiga Prefecture is weak since it is located at the southwest end of the prefecture and adjacent to Kyoto City, and it has been developed as a satellite city of Kyoto.
滋賀県の県庁所在地ではあるが、県の南西端に位置し、また京都市に隣接し京都の衛星都市として発展してきたことから、滋賀県の中核都市としての性格は弱い。