Åfjord

Infobox_Kommune
name=Åfjord
idnumber=1630
county=Sør-Trøndelag
landscape=
capital=Åfjord
governor=Oddbjørn Rømma (Sp)
governor_as_of=2003
arearank=113
area=954
arealand=894
areapercent=0.29
population_as_of=2004
populationrank=253
population=3,322
populationpercent=0.07
populationdensity=4
populationincrease=-6.3
language=Neutral
lat_deg=63| lat_min=58| lat_sec=40| lon_deg=10| lon_min=23| lon_sec=8
utm_zone=32V| utm_northing=7095278 |utm_easting=0567824| geo_cat=adm2nd


munwebpage=www.afjord.kommune.no

Åfjord is a municipality in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway.

Åfjord (in the period 1896–1963 named just Å) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Jøssund was separated from Åfjord on 1 January 1896. Stoksund was merged with Åfjord on 1 January 1964.

Åfjord is located on the north-western side of the Fosen Peninsula, north-west of county capital Trondheim.

The name

The municipality is named after the fjord 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" f 'river'. (Two rivers, Norddalselva and Stordalselva, run together at the south of the farm.)

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1997). It shows two stems of a boat (to represent the special åfjordbåt built in the municipality).

Geography

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", a couple of minutes by car from Årnes, and "Stoksund". Åfjord also has two major salmon rivers; the Nordalselva and Stordalselva, which flow into Åfjord fjord. English lords used to fish here in the late 19th century. Årnes covers an area of approximate 1000 km². There were 3322 inhabitants in 2004 (1200 inhabitants live in Årnes proper.), but 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 minor 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 fishery based economics. There is an increasing amount of weekend houses and recreational cabins in the area.Åfjord has two big islands; Stokkøya (380 inhab.) and Linesøya (80 inhab). Both are connected with the mainland through bridges. NB: The bridge to Linesøya is expected to be finished in 2008.
The Highest point in Åfjord is Finnvollheia at 676 m.There are over 1000 lakes with fish. Stordalselva river and Norddalselva river are well known for their salmon rich streams.

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 recognized as a part of Sunnmøre.On 13 July 1934 the name of the municipality was changed from "Å" to "Åfjord". Afterwards the administrative centre in the municipality was referred to as "Å" or "Å in Åfjord".The way out of the area was basically roadless until 1950 when the road to the neighboring municipalities to the south was finally finished. In 1955 the road to the other settlement in the municipality, Stokksund, was finished. On 1 November 1980 the postal service changed the name from "Å i Åfjord) to "Årnes"

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 costal sailer. Different sizes exist. From the small "Færing" to the largest of them all, the "Fembøring".

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.

External links

* [http://www.ntnu.no/vmuseet/botavd/refesumm/summ2_03.html Abstract:The biological diversity of Åfjord]