Førde (town)
Town in Vestland, Norway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Førde[4] is the administrative centre of Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The town[1] is located at the eastern end of the Førdefjorden, at the mouth of the river Jølstra. The 5.91-square-kilometre (1,460-acre) town has a population (2024) of 10,697 and a population density of 1,810 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,700/sq mi).[2]
Førde | |
|---|---|
View of the town | |
 Interactive map of Førde | |
  Førde  Førde | |
| Coordinates: 61.4522°N 5.8572°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Western Norway |
| County | Vestland |
| District | Sunnfjord |
| Municipality | Sunnfjord Municipality |
| Established as | |
| Town (By) | 1997 |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.91 km2 (2.28 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 27 m (89 ft) |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
• Total | 10,697 |
| • Density | 1,810/km2 (4,700/sq mi) |
| Demonyms | Førdianar Førdianer Førdsfjordinge |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Post Code | 6800 Førde |
The town of Førde is an important commercial, industrial, and government center for the area. The Øyrane area in the center of the town, along the harbor is the regional center for industry. The town also has the local primary and secondary schools, as well as a folk high school. Furthermore, one of the two campuses of Sogn og Fjordane University College is located in Førde. The Department of Engineering and Health Sciences for the college are located here (the other campus is in Sogndalsfjøra). There is a branch of the county library in Førde as well as the Førde Central Hospital, owned by the Førde Health Trust. The regional hospital is the largest healthcare institution in the area and the biggest employer in the city. The regional newspaper, Firda, is based out of the town Førde. Førde Church is the main church for the town.[5] There are two large shopping centers (shopping malls) in the city center: Elvetorget and Alti Førde.
The town sits at the intersection of the highways Rv.5 and E39. The Rv. 5 highway connects Førde to the nearby town of Florø (via the Naustdal Tunnel) and the E39 highway connects Førde with the cities of Ålesund to the north and Bergen to the south. The old Førde Airport, Øyrane was located in the center of the town at Øyrane, but that airport was only used from 1971 until 1986. The site was not optimal for an airport, and so a new Førde Airport was built about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of the town (in Førde Municipality) in the nearby village of Bringeland which was actually located in neighboring Gaular Municipality (since 2020, both areas were part of Sunnfjord Municipality).
History
The current town was the administrative centre of the old Førde Municipality which existed until 2020, when it became part of Sunnfjord Municipality. The town of Førde then became the administrative centre of the new Sunnfjord Municipality.[5]
On 21 April 1965, the decision was made to develop Førde into a regional center . The Gerhardsen government at the time aimed to reduce the rate of migration from the countryside to the large cities. A total of nine locations were designated in the country, and Førde was one of those that were developed. Førde's population in 1951 was only 3,080, but by 1980, it had grown to 7,086. The town developed over a few decades and became the largest commercial and service center between Bergen and Ålesund.[6]
Media gallery
The town of Førde
Downtown Førde
Førdehuset, a regional cultural centre
View of a residential area
Climate
| Climate data for Førde - Tefre 1991–2020 (64 m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) |
2.6 (36.7) |
5.4 (41.7) |
10 (50) |
14.5 (58.1) |
17.7 (63.9) |
20.1 (68.2) |
19.4 (66.9) |
15.5 (59.9) |
10.1 (50.2) |
5.3 (41.5) |
2.6 (36.7) |
10.5 (50.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
1.5 (34.7) |
5.2 (41.4) |
9.2 (48.6) |
12.7 (54.9) |
14.9 (58.8) |
14.3 (57.7) |
10.8 (51.4) |
6.1 (43.0) |
2.4 (36.3) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
6.3 (43.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3 (27) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
1 (34) |
4.3 (39.7) |
8 (46) |
11 (52) |
10.6 (51.1) |
7.6 (45.7) |
3.5 (38.3) |
0 (32) |
−3 (27) |
2.9 (37.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 250.1 (9.85) |
221.3 (8.71) |
209.4 (8.24) |
121.4 (4.78) |
103.7 (4.08) |
118.4 (4.66) |
135.4 (5.33) |
141.8 (5.58) |
205.8 (8.10) |
230.9 (9.09) |
255.2 (10.05) |
288.1 (11.34) |
2,281.5 (89.81) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 21 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 241 |
| Source: NOAA WMO averages 91-2020 Norway [9] | |||||||||||||
