Åfjord


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, Roan, Bessaker, 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 Ørland and Osen and to the west of Steinkjer, with Indre Fosen to the south.
The municipality is the 74th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Åfjord is the 197th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,288. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 1.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Aafjord was established on 1 January 1838. 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 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 and Åfjord to form the new, larger municipality of Åfjord. 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 Roan and Åfjord merged into one large municipality called Åfjord. The new municipality uses the coat of arms of the old Roan municipality.

Name

The municipality is named after the Åfjorden. The first element is the name of the farm and the churchsite Å. 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. The name has varied over the years: Aafjord, then Aa or Å, and finally Åfjord.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is was granted on 22 May 1987 to the old Roan Municipality, and they were re-approved for the newly enlarge Åfjord in 2020. The arms show three silver terns on a blue background. Terns, a very watchful and energetic bird, are intended to symbolize the local inhabitants and the coast with the vast bird life in the area.
The old coat of arms for Åfjord was granted 1997 and used through 2019. The arms show two stems of a boat to represent the special boats Åfjordbåt that are built in the municipality.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes within the municipality of Åfjord. It is part of the Fosen prosti in the Diocese of Nidaros.
Parish Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
ÅfjordÅfjord ChurchÅrnes1879
StoksundStoksund ChurchRevsnes1825
RoanRoan ChurchRoan1702

History

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.
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, 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 of Åfjord is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Economy

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

Geography

The major centre of the municipality is Årnes. 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, 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 and Linesøya. 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 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.