Umeå ( , , , locally ; ; ; ; ) is a city in northeast

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. It is the seat of

Umeå Municipality Umeå Municipality (, ) is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Västerbotten County in northern Sweden. Its administrative centre, seat is Umeå, which is also the county seat of Västerbotten County. Administration The municipality is a ...

and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, Umeå is the largest locality in Norrland and the thirteenth largest in Sweden, with a wider municipal population of 132,235 inhabitants in the beginning of 2023. When Umeå University was established in 1965, growth accelerated, and the amount of housing has doubled in 30 years from 1980 to 2010. , Umeå was gaining around 1,000 inhabitants per year and the municipality plans for having 200,000 inhabitants by 2050. The projection of municipality size in 2050 has, however, been questioned as an overestimation in an independent study. Umeå is a university town and centre of education, technical and medical research in northern Sweden. The two universities located in the city, Umeå University and one of the 3 main branches of SLU, host around 40,000 enrolled students, which corresponds to around 30% of the total population. CRISPR gene editing was developed by researchers, headed by Emmanuelle Charpentier at Umeå University, being awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Umeå was the

European Capital of Culture A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

during 2014, along with

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. Umeå is certified by the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations program. Consulates from ten countries can be found in Umeå (2021): Denmark (from 1848), Finland (from 1921), France (from 1989), Iceland (from 2002), Italy (from 2012), Latvia (1939–1940; again from 2014), Lithuania (from 2012), Norway (from 1963), and the Republic of Seychelles (from 2001). Umeå has been the home of Rally Sweden since 2022.

History

People have lived in the Umeå river valley for at least three thousand years. The oldest rock carvings near Umeå, ten kilometers west of the city at Norrforsen, are from about 3,000 BCE. In some places, there are remains of settlements and cultivation from the Bronze Age to the 11th century. During that period, the climate was mild, allowing for the cultivation of barley and wheat, while moose and beaver were hunted further inland. The first written mention of Umeå dates from the 14th century. Before this time, the northern parts of Sweden, including the counties of Västerbotten and Norrbotten, were mostly settled by nomadic

Sami people Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

, though there is no evidence of a permanent settlement at the exact location of the city. The name is believed to derive from the

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

word ''Úma,'' meaning 'roaring'. The name of the town would therefore mean "The Roaring River". The coast was permanently settled by Germanic peoples who traveled north along the Bothnian Bay by boat, which explains the Germanic names of towns and villages along the coast. Southern Västerbotten (including Umeå and Skellefteå) has had permanent Germanic settlements since at least the 14th century, and possibly since the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

, or even earlier. Umeå initially developed as a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

, with a wooden church and a trading post located in what is now known as Backen (or Kyrkbacken). Its location near the coast and by a river was probably one of the reasons that people chose to settle there.1300-1652 Umeå kommun
- Umeå official website. Retrieved 26 August 2008 For the next few centuries, Umeå remained a collection of scattered parishes where merchandise originating from the Sami people was traded. It was the last inhabited area before the northern wilderness. However, no proper town was built at the location selected by the king, and Umeå lost its town privileges in the 1590s. In 1622,

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...

re-established the town. By 1638, it had about 40 houses. It suffered from Russian attacks in 1714 and in 1720, when it was burnt to the ground during the Russian Pillage of 1719–21. At the close of the

Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...

in 1809, a Russian army under Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly captured Umeå and occupied it from June to August. In 1874, the town plans were improved following a government mandate. Umeå had already begun making structural changes when, on 25 June 1888, a fire devastated the eastern parts of the town, leaving at least 2,300 of its 3,000 inhabitants homeless. During the restoration, almost 3,000 silver birch trees were planted along wide avenues to prevent future fires from spreading. For this reason Umeå is sometimes known as "Björkarnas Stad", the "City of Birches". The name of the Umeå ice-hockey team, Björklöven, translates to "The Birch Leaves".

Geography

Umeå is situated on the inlet of the

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...

at the mouth of the Ume River, in the south of Västerbotten. Umeå is about north of

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and about south of the Arctic Circle. It is the largest city north of the

Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

region, and is sometimes referred to as the regional centre of northern

. The nearby community of Holmsund serves as Umeå's port, with a ferry line connecting it to

Vaasa Vaasa (; , ), formerly (1855-1917) known as Nikolaistad (; ),Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. This close connection to Finland influences Umeå’s population, with many Sweden Finns residing in the city.

Residential areas and localities

Central

* Berghem * Centrum * Fridhem * Gammlia * Haga * Sandbacka * Umestan * Väst på stan * Öbacka * Öbacka Strand * Östermalm * Öst på stan

West

* Backen * Grisbacka * Grubbe * Klockarbäcken * Kronoparken * Kungsänget * Lundåkern * Rödäng * Sandåkern * Umedalen * Västerslätt * Västerhiske * Ytterhiske

South

* Alvik * Böle * Böleäng * Röbäck * Röbäcksdalen * Söderslätt * Teg * Ön

Southeast

* Carlshem * Carlshöjd * Carlslid * Gimonäs * Lilljansberget * Sofiehem * Tavleliden * Tomtebo * Tunnelbacken * Universitetsområdet * Ålidbacken *

Ålidhem Ålidhem is a residential area in Umeå, Sweden. About 9,000 people live in Ålidhem, which is located about 3 km outside the city centre. It was built between 1966 and 1973 as a part of the Million Programme and, because of the proximity to the Um ...

* Ålidhöjd

North/Northeast

* Ersboda * Ersmark * Marieberg * Mariedal * Mariehem * Mariestrand * Nydalahöjd * Olofsdal * Sandahöjd

Climate

Umeå has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

( Dfc), bordering on a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

( Dfb) with short and fairly warm summers. Winters are lengthy and freezing but usually milder than in areas at the same latitude with a more continental climate. Average January temperature is about , July is . Considering its proximity to a major water body and its latitude, summers are warmer than would be expected. The record high of was recorded on 23 July 2014, during a very warm summer in Sweden. The record low of was recorded on 15 February 1978.

Demography

The population of Umeå has grown consistently since the 1960s, when the university was built. In part because of the university, the town has attracted many residents from outside of Sweden, as well as students from other regions of Sweden. As of 2015, 10.4% of the population in the municipality of Umeå were foreign-born. The largest national origin group is from

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, followed by

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

. In April 2017 the Jewish association in Umeå closed after receiving multiple threats from neo-Nazis, allegedly associated with the Nordic Resistance Movement.

Transportation

The road infrastructure includes two European highways ( E4 and E12) which pass the city.Sweden Tourism
Map of Sweden. Accessed 14 April 2010.
/ref> The local bus system is centred at Vasaplan in the city centre, and has multiple routes travelling throughout the city.Umeå University
Bus Transportation. Accessed 24 September 2014.
/ref> About from the city centre is Umeå Airport. It is the 7th largest airport in Sweden by number of passengers, with 844,932 passengers in 2010. The Bothnia Line (''Botniabanan'') connects to Umeå from the south, it runs along the High Coast via

Örnsköldsvik Örnsköldsvik (; ), often shortened to just Ö-vik, is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Örnsköldsvik Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden, with 32,953 inhabitants in 2017. Its natural harbour and archipelago is in th ...

to Umeå. This railway was opened on 28 August 2010. The new railway line is long, containing 140 bridges and of tunnels. It provides Umeå with a fast train connection to Stockholm ( hours). A new railway station, Umeå East Station, was built in connection to Norrland's University Hospital and Umeå University. The Wasaline ferry takes four hours to arrive in

Vaasa Vaasa (; , ), formerly (1855-1917) known as Nikolaistad (; ),Blue Highway, which is an international tourist route from Mo i Rana,

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 ...

to Pudozh,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

via

Culture

The Opera of northern Sweden, the Norrland Opera, is based in the city, as is the English-language non-profit Umeå Theatre Company and the Museum of Contemporary Art and Visual Culture. The annual Umeå Jazz Festival is one of the larger Scandinavian festivals for modern jazz. Well-known metal bands from Umeå include Cult of Luna, Gotham City, Bewitched, Meshuggah, Naglfar, Nocturnal Rites and Persuader. During the 1990s, the influence of Umeå

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

bands such as Final Exit, Step Forward, Refused, Abhinanda, Shield and Doughnuts and the local labels Desperate Fight Records and Busted Heads Records led to the growth of Umeå's hardcore scene. Independent record label Ny Våg is headquartered in Umeå, and have released records of Umeå artists such as AC4, Masshysteri and Invasionen. In 2009 the town was designated

for 2014, along with

. Umeå is the centre of television in northern Sweden; SVT Nord and TV4's northern region office are both based in the city. The main newspapers of the county of Västerbotten, Västerbottens-Kuriren and Västerbottens Folkblad are also based in Umeå. The background and setting for the video game '' Unravel'' are based on landscapes around Umeå.

Sports

The city of Umeå currently hosts four major sports clubs. The women's football club is Umeå IK. The men's hockey team IF Björklöven was very successful in the 1980s but has been less successful in recent years. Björklöven are currently playing in the Swedish second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan while Umeå IK plays in the top Swedish women's football league Damallsvenskan. IBK Dalen and IKSU are among the major floorball teams in Sweden; both teams has been in the Swedish Championships finals two years in a row (). Other sports clubs include IFK Umeå, BK Ume-Trixa, Mariehem SK, Umeå FC, and Umedalens IF. In 2018 and 2020, Umeå was named Sweden's best sports city by SVT Sport. In 2011, a baseball and softball team, Umeå Baseboll & Softbol, klubb, was founded. The team has 2 former national team players as coaches and currently plays in Norra Regionserien. Umea is also the host city of the FIA World Rally Championship's Rally Sweden. In 2021 it was announced that Rally Sweden would relocate to the northern Swedish city of Umeå after being held in the province of Värmland since its foundation. The primary reason for its relocation was that Umeå is considered a more snow safe region

Education and research

Umeå University has about 37,000 students and 4,200 staff. The establishment of the university in the mid-1960s led to a population expansion from about 50,000 inhabitants to today's 121,032. The expansion continues, with about 1100 new inhabitants every year, and has made Umeå a modern, somewhat intellectual city to add to the traditional basis of heavy industry for cities along the coast of northern Sweden ( Norrland). In 1951 the university's library was recognised as important for northern Sweden. The library is given a copy of every new book printed in Sweden. The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences or ''Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet'' is a university in Sweden. Although its head office is located in

( Ultuna), the university has several campuses in different parts of Sweden, including Umeå. Unlike other government-run universities in Sweden, it is funded through the budget for the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation. The

university hospital A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...

serves the entire region of northern Sweden.

Economy

Key research fields of the University are life sciences (especially medical and cell and the molecular biology of plants), human-technology interaction, social welfare, ecology and gender perspectives. The Umeå University works collaboratively with companies such as ABB,

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

, Skanska,

Ericsson (), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...

, and Öhrlings

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, alon ...

(PwC). The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Umeå, with Umeå Plant Science Centre, is another major site of research and education. Notable companies based in Umeå include: * GE Healthcare, which produces chromatography systems such as FPLC, HPLC and DNA sequencer equipment. *

Handelsbanken Svenska Handelsbanken AB is a leading Nordic countries, Nordic bank with international operations, providing a comprehensive range of financial services including corporate banking, investment banking, trading, and consumer banking such as loans, ...

, HQ in the northern region of Sweden. * Komatsu Forest, European HQ. * Siemens Financial Services, Scandinavian HQ. * Volvo Trucks. * Nasdaq Technology AB *, production facilities for tractor front-end loaders.

Notable people

Athletes * Sebastian Aho * Björn Berg * Jesper Blomqvist * Jörgen Brink * Åsa Elfving * Per Elofsson * Fredrik Ericsson * Carl Grundström *

Hanna Ljungberg Hanna Carolina Ljungberg (born 8 January 1979) is a Swedish former association football Forward (association football), forward. She spent the majority of her club career at Umeå IK and was a Sweden women's national football team, Swedish intern ...

Mikael Lustig Carl Mikael Lustig (; born 13 December 1986) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a right-back or centre-back. Beginning his career with Umeå FC in 2004, he went on to represent GIF Sundsvall, Rosenborg BK, Celtic, and ...

* Gunnar Nordahl * Maria Pietilä Holmner * Anja Pärson * Assar Rönnlund * Patrik Sundström * Daniel Tjärnqvist * Tor Troéng * Marcus Wallmark Musicians * Thomas Hedlund * Karl Backman * Katarina Barruk * Eva Dahlgren * Mats Gustafsson * Frida Hyvönen * Inge Johansson * Daniel Lindström * Dennis Lyxzén * Lisa Miskovsky * Nicklas Nygren * David Sandström * Kristofer Steen * Tove Styrke * Morgan Ågren * Fricky * Infernus * Fredrik Thordendal/ Meshuggah Politicians * Ibrahim Baylan * Kjell-Olof Feldt * Jonas Sjöstedt * Ola Ullsten * Margot Wikström Other * Stieg Larsson, novelist * Stig Lindberg, artist * David Sandberg, film director and actor * Amanda Kernell, film director and screenwriter * Forsen, video game streamer

Notes

References

External links

Website of Umeå municipality

Umeå Region

Umeå Tourist Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Umea County seats in Sweden Municipal seats of Västerbotten County Swedish municipal seats Populated places in Umeå Municipality Populated places established in 1622 Cities in Sweden Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea