Overhalla

Overhalla is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ranemsletta (also called ''Overhalla''). Other villages include Melen, Skage, Skogmo, Svalia, and Øysletta.

The population is concentrated in the relatively broad Namsen river valley at the center. Public services, agriculture, and tourism are the main sources of income. ''Overhallahus'' (a house building company) and ''Pharmaq'' (a fish vaccine factory) are located in the municipality.

The municipality is the 155th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Overhalla is the 207th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,817. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 3.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Overhalla was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee, although Overhalla's borders were only slightly modified. On 1 January 1964, the Galguften and Hauknes area (population: 15) of Høylandet (on the southern shore of the lake Eidsvatnet) was transferred to Overhalla. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was ''œfri halfa'' which means "the upper half (of Namdalen)". Historically, the Namdalen district was divided in two parts: "the upper half" and "the lower half". The municipality of Overhalla today is, however, just a fraction of the old part of ''œfri halfa''.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms for Overhalla was granted in 1989. They are inspired by an old seal for the district by King Håkon Magnusson from 1344. It shows seven red greek crosses arranged in a circle on a gold background.

Geography

The municipality includes part of the lake Eidsvatnet, from which the river Bjøra flows into the river Namsen, which runs from the east to the west. By the time it reaches the border to Namsos, Namsen is already brackish and influenced by the tides the ocean. The river Nordelva also empties into the estuary here. On the south side of Namsen, there is an area of mountains, including Reinsjøfjell and mountain lakes; the Bangsjøene lakes form the border with Snåsa. The western approaches to Geitfjell lies in Overhalla, while the summit lies in Grong. The southern tip of the lake Storgrønningen lies in Overhalla, while the vast majority of the lake lies in Høylandet.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Overhalla, 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 Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Overhalla is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Transportation

The historic Namsos Line railway traversed the municipality on its way from Grong to Namsos, but the line was closed to passenger traffic in 1978. Freight traffic on the line was discontinued in 2002. The Norwegian County Road 17 also crosses the municipality.

Culture

Archaeology: Olamo-haugen is the largest grave-mound (of the 38), in the area of Hunn; the other ones have been dated to year 600 to 800 Common Era; 300
square metres or c. one-third of the mound was excavated by the time the dig was concluded (in 2022).

Churches

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

Notable residents

Public service

* Jacob Hersleb Darre (1757 in Overhalla – 1841) a Norwegian vicar, rep. on the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly
* Hans Barlien (1772 in Overhalla – 1842) farmer and politician, established the Norwegian-American immigrant settlement in Sugar Creek, Iowa
* Christian Møinichen Havig (1825 in Overhalla – 1912) bailiff and politician
* Kristen Gran Gleditsch (1867 in Overhalla - 1946) a Norwegian military officer and topographer
* Alf Hildrum (born 1948 in Overhalla) a Norwegian media executive and politician
* Inge Ryan (born 1956 in Overhalla) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Namsskogan 1991–1995, County Governor of Nord-Trøndelag, 2009-2017
* Susanne Bratli (born 1966 in Overhalla) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Overhalla in 2003
* Trine Skei Grande (born 1969 in Overhalla) a politician and former leader of the Liberal Party of Norway

The Arts

* Kristian Elster (1841 in Overhalla – 1881) novelist, journalist, literary critic, theatre critic & forester
* Per Kvist (1890 in Overhalla – 1947) revue writer, entertainer, stage & film actor IMDb Database
retrieved 11 October 2020
* Johannes Rian (1891 in Overhalla – 1981) a Norwegian painter
* Bjarne Brøndbo (born 1964) and Eskil Brøndbo (born 1970) rock musicians from Namsos

Sport

* Gunhild Følstad (born 1981 in Overhalla) international women's footballer

References

External links

*
Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022

Municipalities of Trøndelag
1838 establishments in Norway