Hå is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in Rogaland county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is the southernmost municipality in the traditional district of

Jæren Jæren is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Rogaland county, Norway. The other districts in Rogaland are Dalane, Ryfylke, and Haugalandet. Jæren is one of the 15 districts that comprise Western Norway. At about , Jæren is the large ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of

Varhaug Varhaug is the administrative centre of Hå municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located in the district of Jæren and it is the second largest village in Hå municipality after Nærbø. It was also the administrative centr ...

. Other villages in Hå include

Brusand Brusand is a village in Hå municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The small village is located on a small isthmus of land between the lake Bjåvatnet and the North Sea. The village sits along the Sørlandet Line (traditionally called the Jær ...

Hæen Hæen or Stokkalandsmarka is a village in Hå municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located between the villages of Vigrestad and Brusand. The Sørlandet Line runs along the south side of the village. The village is known as ...

Nærbø Nærbø is the largest village in Hå Hå is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is the southernmost municipality in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Varhaug. Other ...

, Obrestad,

Ogna Ogna is a village in Hå municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located immediately north of the village of Sirevåg on the shores of the Ognaelva river. The village was the administrative centre of the historic municipality o ...

, Sirevåg, and

Vigrestad Vigrestad is a village in Hå municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located about northeast of the southwestern coast of Norway, facing the North Sea. The village sits about southeast of the village of Varhaug and about nor ...

. The municipality is the 281st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Hå is the 67th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 19,296. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

is and its population has increased by 11.9% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of ''Haa'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1894, the municipality of Haa was dissolved and divided into two new municipalities:

(population: 1,806) and

(population: 1,801). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Hå was recreated by merging of the neighboring municipalities of Nærbø (population: 3,926), Varhaug (population: 3,454), and

(population: 1,470). In local politics, the divisions between the three previous municipalities are very visible.

Name

The municipality is named after the old ''Hå'' farm ( non, Háar) where the local church priest's parsonage was located. The meaning of the name is unknown. The river running past this farm is similarly named the Hååna, meaning the "Hå river". It is not known if the river is named after the farm or vice versa.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was granted on 5 July 1991. The arms are black with a silver/white

winch A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attach ...

in the centre. It is a special type of winch that has historically been used in this area to remove stones from the many farm fields. The arms were chosen to symbolize the hard living on the rocky

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debri ...

s of the municipality.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes () within the municipality of Hå. It is part of the

Jæren prosti This list of churches in Rogaland is a list of the Church of Norway churches in Rogaland county, Norway. The churches are all part of the Diocese of Stavanger. The diocese is based at the Stavanger Cathedral in the city of Stavanger. The list ...

( deanery) in the

Diocese of Stavanger The Diocese of Stavanger ( no, Stavanger bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers all of Rogaland county in western Norway. The cathedral city is Stavanger, where the Stavanger Cathedral is located. The bishop is Anne Li ...

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Hå, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

and other social services,

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The municipality falls under the

Sør-Rogaland District Court Sør-Rogaland District Court ( no, Sør-Rogaland tingrett) is a district court located in Rogaland and Agder counties in Norway. This court is based at three different courthouses which are located in Stavanger, Sandnes, and Egersund. The court s ...

and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Hå is made up of 33 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

breakdown is as follows:

Geography

Hå municipality is located on the southwestern shore of Norway, along the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

. The municipality is located mostly in the very flat, coastal

district. The southeastern part of the municipality begins to get a little hilly and rocky and it marks the border of the

Dalane Dalane is a traditional district in the southwestern part of Norway, consisting of the municipalities of Lund, Sokndal, Eigersund, and Bjerkreim. Dalane is one of the 15 districts in Western Norway. It sits to the southeast of the very flat J� ...

district (located to the south and east). Much of the land in Hå is used for agriculture because of its flat landscape. The river Hååna runs through the municipality. The shoreline of the municipality is marked by the Kvassheim Lighthouse and Obrestad Lighthouse.

Settlements

Weather

Hå has a

temperate oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(Cfb), also known as marine west coast climate. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below ) in spring is 16 April and average date for first freeze in autumn is 10 November giving a frost-free season of 207 days (1981-2010 average).

Transportation

The

Sørlandet Line The Sørlandet Line ( no, Sørlandsbanen) is a railway line between Drammen (though this is connected to Oslo by means of the Drammen Line) via Kristiansand to Stavanger. The line is long between Oslo and Stavanger. History The railway was con ...

runs through the municipality, making several stops. The stations in Hå include Brusand Station,

Nærbø Station Nærbø Station ( no, Nærbø stasjon) is a railway station located at Nærbø in Hå, Norway on Sørlandet Line. The station is served by the Jæren Commuter Rail between Stavanger and Egersund, and one of the two bihourly train services as Nærb ...

Ogna Station Ogna Station ( no, Ogna stasjon) is a railway station located at Ogna in Hå, Norway on the Sørland Line. The station is served by the Jæren Commuter Rail between Stavanger and Egersund Egersund is a town in Eigersund municipality in Rogaland ...

Sirevåg Station Sirevåg Station ( no, Sirevåg holdeplass) is a railway station located at Sirevåg in Hå, Norway on the Sørlandet Line. The station is served by the Jæren Commuter Rail between Stavanger and Egersund. The station is south of the city of St ...

, Varhaug Station, and

Vigrestad Station Vigrestad Station ( no, Vigrestad stasjon) is a railway station located at Vigrestad in Hå, Norway on Sørland Line. The station is served by the Jæren Commuter Rail between Stavanger and Egersund Egersund is a town in Eigersund municipality in ...

Notable people

* Jacob Rasch (1669 in Ogna – 1737) rector of Christiania Cathedral School, 1706 to 1737 *

Sven Aarrestad Sven Eivindsen Aarrestad (8 October 1850 – 19 January 1942) was a writer, politician, and leader in the Norwegian temperance movement during the 19th century. Biography Sven Aarrestad was born at Varhaug in Rogaland county, Norway. He ...

(1850 in Varhaug – 1942) writer, politician and leader in the Norwegian

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

* Tor Obrestad (1938 in Hå – 2020) a Norwegian novelist, poet and documentary writer * Gunnar Torvund (1948 in Nærbø – 2019) a Norwegian sculptor * Kjell Arild Pollestad (born 1949 in Hå) author, theologian, philologist and Dominican priest * Magnus Matningsdal (born 1951 in Hå) a judge and a

Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight Associate Justice of the Supreme ...

from 1997 * Helge Torvund (born 1951 in Hå) a psychologist, poet, literary critic and children's writer *

Geir Pollestad Geir Pollestad (born 13 August 1978) is a Norwegian solicitor and politician for the Centre Party. He is currently serving as the minister of agriculture and food since 2023, and has been a member of parliament for Rogaland since 2013. Early li ...

(born 1978 in Høyland) a politician and Govt. minister * Vidar Nisja (born 1986 in Vigrestad) a Norwegian football midfielder with 324 club caps

References

External links

* * *
Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway {{DEFAULTSORT:Haa Municipalities of Rogaland Jæren 1838 establishments in Norway 1894 disestablishments in Norway 1964 establishments in Norway