Førde is the
administrative centre
An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located.
In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...
of
Sunnfjord Municipality in
Vestland
Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
is located at the eastern end of the
Førdefjorden, at the mouth of the river
Jølstra. The town has a population (2019) of 10,339 and a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
of .
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
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
and
Ã…lesund.
[https://hvlopen.brage.unit.no/hvlopen-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/149812/Torpe_2013.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y]
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.
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
Ã…lesund to the north and
Bergen
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
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 south of the town in Bringeland in neighboring
Sunnfjord municipality.
Notable people
*
Media gallery
File:Førde sentrum.jpg, The town of Førde
File:Fordetorg elvegaarden.jpg, Downtown Førde
File:Førdehuset from Hafstadfjellet.jpg, Førdehuset, a regional cultural centre
File:Innover mot flatene.jpg, View of a residential area
See also
*
List of towns and cities in Norway
This is a list of towns and cities in Norway. The Norwegian language word means a town or city–there is no distinction between the two words as there is in English. Historically, the designation of town/city was granted by the king, but sin ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forde (town)
Sunnfjord
Cities and towns in Norway
Populated places in Vestland
1997 establishments in Norway