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Åfjord

Coordinates: 63°58′40″N 10°23′08″E / 63.97778°N 10.38556°E / 63.97778; 10.38556
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For the fjord sometimes called Åfjord, see Åfjorden.
Åfjord Municipality
Åfjord kommune
Municipality
View of the Åfjorden
View of the Åfjorden
Flag of Åfjord Municipality
Flag
Coat of arms of Åfjord Municipality
Coat of arms
Trøndelag within Norway
Trøndelag within Norway
Åfjord within Trøndelag
Åfjord within Trøndelag
Coordinates: 63°58′40″N 10°23′08″E / 63.97778°N 10.38556°E / 63.97778; 10.38556
CountryNorway
CountyTrøndelag
DistrictFosen
Established1 Jan 1838
Administrative centreÅrnes
Government
 • Mayor (2007)Vibeke Stjern (Ap)
Area
 • Total
954.66 km2 (368.60 sq mi)
 • Land895.27 km2 (345.67 sq mi)
 • Water59.39 km2 (22.93 sq mi)  6.2%
 • Rank#114 in Norway
Population
 (2017)
 • Total
3,263
 • Rank#253 in Norway
 • Density3.6/km2 (9/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +0.2%
DemonymÅfjording[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-5018[3]
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

Åfjord is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Fosen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årnes. Other villages in the municipality include Revsnes, Harsvika, and By. Åfjord is located on the northwestern side of the Fosen peninsula, northwest of the city of Trondheim. It is located between the municipalities of Bjugn and Roan and to the west of Verran, with Indre Fosen to the south.[4]

The 955-square-kilometre (369 sq mi) municipality is the 114th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Åfjord is the 253rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,263. The municipality's population density is 3.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (9.3/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0.2% over the last decade.[5]

General information

Årnes in Åfjord

The municipality of Aafjord was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). On 26 March 1870, a royal resolution moved a small, unpopulated part to Aafjord to the neighboring municipality of Bjugn. On 1 January 1896, the southwestern coastal area of Aafjord (population: 1,529) was separated to form the new municipality of Jøssund. This left Aafjord with 2,419 residents. On the same date, the name of Aafjord municipality was changed to just Aa. The spelling was later changed to Å. On 13 July 1934, the name of the municipality was changed from "Å" to "Åfjord". After that, the administrative centre in the municipality was referred to as "Å" or "Å i Åfjord".

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of Stoksund (population: 2,643) and Åfjord (population: 1,515) to form the new, larger municipality of Åfjord.[6] On 1 November 1980, the postal service changed the name of the municipal center from "Å i Åfjord" to "Årnes".

On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Sør-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Road and Åfjord will merge into one large municipality called Åfjord. The new municipality will use the coat of arms of the old Roan municipality.[7][8]

Name

The municipality is named after the Åfjorden. The first element is the name of the farm and the churchsite Å (Old Norse: Ár). This name is the plural form of á which means "river", probably since there are two rivers, the Norddalselva and Stordalselva, that run together south of the farm.[9] The name has varied over the years: Aafjord (1838 to 1896), then Aa or Å (1896 to 1934), and finally Åfjord (since 1934).

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is from modern times; they were granted 1997. The arms show two stems of a boat to represent the special boats Template:Lang-no that are built in the municipality.[10]

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Åfjord. It is part of the Fosen prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

Churches in Åfjord
Parish (Sokn) Church Name Location of the Church Year Built
Åfjord Åfjord Church Årnes 1879
Stoksund Stoksund Church Revsnes 1825

History

Harbakkhula (cave), with evidence of stone age settlement.

There are archeological findings on many sites across the municipality. On Dragseid archaeologists have located grave mounds. On Dragseid it is said that the wooden boats were dragged over this thin peninsula to shorten the journey and to avoid risking them in bad weather. Up to the Middle Ages the Fosen peninsula was included as a part of the district of Nordmøre, immediately to the south.[11]

Prior to 1950, there were no roads leading into and out of the municipality. In 1950, the road to the neighboring municipality of Bjugn to the south was finally finished. In 1955, the road to Stokksund in the northern part of the municipality was finished.

An old type of wooden boat, the Åfjord boat, comes from this area. The boat is a direct descendant form the old Norse Viking boats. It is still being produced, although in very small numbers. The boat is rounded at both ends. It is known to be a good coastal sailer. Different sizes exist. From the small "faering" to the largest of them all, the "fembøring".

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Åfjord, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Fosen District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Åfjord is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:[12]

Åfjord kommunestyre 2015–2019
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:21

Economy

The people of Åfjord make their living from agriculture, forestry, fishing, transport (sea and land), aquaculture (fish and shellfish), construction, and services. The largest employer in the area is Stjern (forestry, sawmill, entrepreneur). The contractor, building, sector now employs about 19% of the working force, and is now larger than the agricultural sector.

Geography

Hosensanden beach on the island Stokkøya, July 1987

The major centre of the municipality is Årnes (also called "Å in Åfjord"). All major services of the municipality are located there. Other populated areas are Monstad/Å, a couple of minutes by car from Årnes, and Stoksund/Revsnes. Åfjord covers an area of approximately 1,000 square kilometres (390 sq mi), with about 3200 residents— about one third of which live in the Årnes urban area. During the last decades there has been a decrease of 100-150 people yearly. Many young people leave the municipality for school, university or work.

Åfjord consists of many small settlements—from the islands in the west to the highlands in the east. Traditionally, Åfjord has been an agricultural society, while Stoksund in the west has had a more of a fishing-based economy. There is an increasing amount of weekend houses and recreational cabins in the area. Åfjord has two big islands; Stokkøya (380 inhabitants) and Linesøya (80 inhabitants). Stokkøya is connected with the mainland through a bridge Stokkøy Bridge. The Linesøy Bridge connects the islands of Stokkøya and Linesøya. The other main island is Lauvøya near the south at the end of the Åfjorden.

The highest point in Åfjord is the 676-metre (2,218 ft) tall Finnvollheia. There are over 1,000 lakes with fish. Åfjord also has two major salmon rivers—the Nordalselva and Stordalselva, which flow into Åfjorden. English Lords used to fish here in the late 19th century. The lake Stordalsvatnet lies just east of Årnes. The lake Straumsetervatnet lies in the east, along the border with Verran.

References

  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (2023-01-26). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (2017-05-17). "Åfjord". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2017-10-07.
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (2017). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2017-10-07.
  6. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  7. ^ "Ny kommune" (in Norwegian). Åfjord kommune. Retrieved 2017-10-07.
  8. ^ Hauknes, Joar (2017-12-21). "Åfjord blir navnet på den nye kommunen" (in Norwegian). Åfjord kommune.
  9. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1901). Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Trondhjems amt (in Norwegian) (14 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 23.
  10. ^ "Åfjord kommunes kommunevåpen" (in Norwegian). Åfjord kommune. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  11. ^ Stylegars, Frans-Arne H. (2006-05-14). "Fosens historie frem til 1730" (in Norwegian). Arkeologi i Nord. Retrieved 2017-10-07.
  12. ^ "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway. 2015.
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