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 Västerbotten County (), sometimes called Westrobothnia, is a county or '' län'' in the north of Sweden. It shares the borders with the counties of Västernorrland, Jämtland, and Norrbotten, as well as the Norwegian county of Nordland and the ...

. Situated on the

Ume River The Ume River (Swedish: ''Ume älv'' or ''Umeälven'') is one of the main rivers in northern Sweden. It is around long, and flows in a south-eastern direction from its source, the lake ''Överuman'' by the Norway, Norwegian border within the Scand ...

, Umeå is the largest

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

Norrland Norrland (, , originally ''Norrlanden'', meaning 'the Northlands') is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. Although Norrland does not serve any administrative p ...

and the thirteenth largest in Sweden, with a wider municipal population of 132,235 inhabitants in the beginning of 2023. When

Umeå University Umeå University (; Ume Sami language, Ume Sami: ) is a public university, public research university located in Umeå, in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present bord ...

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 A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...

and centre of education, technical and medical research in northern Sweden. The two universities located in the city,

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 CRISPR gene editing (; pronounced like "crisper"; an abbreviation for "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats") is a genetic engineering technique in molecular biology by which the genomes of living organisms may be modified. ...

was developed by researchers, headed by

Emmanuelle Charpentier Emmanuelle Marie Charpentier (; born 11 December 1968) is a French professor and researcher in microbiology, genetics, and biochemistry. As of 2015, she has been a director at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin. In 2018, sh ...

at Umeå University, being awarded the 2020

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

. 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 The Rally Sweden (), formerly the KAK-Rally, the International Swedish Rally, and later the Uddeholm Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in February in Värmland, Sweden and relocated to Umeå in 2022. First held in 1950, as a ...

since 2022.

History

People have lived in the Umeå river valley for at least three thousand years. The oldest

rock carvings A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

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 Västerbotten (), sometimes called West Bothnia or Westrobothnia, is a province (''landskap'') in northern Sweden, located by the Gulf of Bothnia. It borders the provinces of Ångermanland, Lapland and Norrbotten. The region is famous for Väs ...

and

Norrbotten Norrbotten (), sometimes called North Bothnia, is a Swedish province (''landskap'') in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland. Administration The traditional provinces of Swede ...

, 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 The Bothnian Bay or Bay of Bothnia (; ) is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which is in turn the northern part of the Baltic Sea. The land holding the bay is still rising after the weight of ice-age glaciers has been removed, and ...

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 Backen is a residential area in Umeå, 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 th ...

(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 Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

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 Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (baptised – ) was a Russian field marshal who figured prominently in the Napoleonic Wars. Barclay was born into a Baltic German family from Livland. His father was the first of his family to be accep ...

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 ''Betula pendula'', commonly known as silver birch, warty birch, European white birch, or East Asian white birch, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe and parts of Asia, though in southern Europe, it is only found ...

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

, 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 Holmsund is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality situated in Umeå Municipality, Västerbotten County, Sweden with 5,489 inhabitants in 2010. It is located 18 km south of the city of Umeå and serves as a port for Umeå. Position Holmsund lies ...

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 Sweden Finns (; ) are a Finnish-speaking national minority in Sweden. People with Finnish heritage comprise a relatively large share of the population of Sweden. In addition to a smaller part of Sweden Finns historically residing in Sweden, th ...

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

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

South

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

Ön ''Ön'' () is a 1966 Swedish drama film directed by Alf Sjöberg. At the 3rd Guldbagge Awards Sjöberg won the award for Guldbagge Award for Best Director, Best Director. The film was also entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Per ...

Southeast

* Carlshem * Carlshöjd * Carlslid *

Gimonäs Gimonäs is a residential area in Umeå, 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 ...

Lilljansberget Lilljansberget is a mountain, and since 2005 a residential area, in Umeå, Sweden. It is located next to the Umeå University Umeå University (; Ume Sami language, Ume Sami: ) is a public university, public research university located in Ume� ...

* Sofiehem * Tavleliden *

Tomtebo Tomtebo is a residential area in Umeå, Sweden. It is located next to the lake Nydalasjön Nydalasjön, previously known as Tavlesjön, is a lake in Umeå Umeå ( , , , locally ; ; ; ; ) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå ...

* 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 Mariehem is a residential area in Umeå, Sweden. It is located about 4 km outside the central city, next to the lake Nydalasjön. The area was built in the 1960s and consist primarily of rental apartments and condominium apartments. Sports The fo ...

* Mariestrand * Nydalahöjd * Olofsdal *

Sandahöjd Sandahöjd is a residential area in Umeå, 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 t ...

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 Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), to att ...

, allegedly associated with the

Nordic Resistance Movement The Nordic Resistance Movement is a pan-Nordic neo-Nazi movement in the Nordic countries and a political party in Sweden. Besides Sweden, it is established in Norway, Denmark and Iceland, and formerly in Finland before it was banned in 2019. ...

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 Umeå Airport is an airport located on the southern outskirts of the city of Umeå, Sweden. As of 2019, it is the seventh-largest airport in Sweden. It had 960,351 passengers in 2019. By road, the airport is located about from Umeå city centre. ...

. 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 The High Coast () is a part of the coast of Sweden on the Gulf of Bothnia, in the Ångermanland province of northeast Sweden, centered in the area of the municipalities of Kramfors, Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik. It is notable as an area for ...

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

. 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 (Norwegian language, Norwegian; ) or (and unofficially , ) is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city, and the administrative centre of Rana Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the Helgeland region of Nordland, just sou ...

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 ...

Pudozh Pudozh (; ; ; or ') is a town and the administrative center of Pudozhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the Vodla River east of Petrozavodsk, but traveling by the road around Lake Onega. Population: 8,000 (1970). ...

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 Umeå Jazz Festival (Swedish: ''Umeå Jazzfestival'') is an annual jazz festival held in Umeå, Sweden. The festival comprises some 30 concerts held mainly at Umeå's folkets hus People's Houses () were originally leisure and cultural centres bui ...

is one of the larger Scandinavian festivals for modern jazz. Well-known metal bands from Umeå include

Cult of Luna Cult of Luna is a Swedish post-metal band from Umeå founded in 1998. Their style of music is similar to contemporary bands Neurosis and Isis. Cult of Luna was signed to Earache Records in the early 2000s and released five albums, including th ...

, Gotham City,

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typi ...

Meshuggah Meshuggah () is a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Umeå in 1987. Since 2004, the band's lineup consists of founding members Jens Kidman (lead vocals) and Fredrik Thordendal (lead guitar), alongside rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, drumm ...

Naglfar In Norse mythology, ''Naglfar'' or ''Naglfari'' (Old Norse " nail farer") is a boat made entirely from the fingernails and toenails of the dead. During the events of Ragnarök, ''Naglfar'' is foretold to sail to Vígríðr, ferrying hordes of ...

, Nocturnal Rites and

Persuader Persuader may refer to: * Persuader (band), a Swedish power metal band * Persuader (comics), three DC Comics supervillains * ''Persuader'' (novel), a 2003 thriller novel * Mossberg 500 The Mossberg 500 is a series of pump-action shotguns manu ...

. 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 Step Forward was a Swedish hardcore punk band founded in 1989 in Umeå, Sweden by Dennis Lyxzén and his friends, Toft Stade, Jens Nordén and Henrik Jansson. Step Forward was one of the first hardcore punk bands in Sweden that held on to the ...

Refused Refused (also known as the Refused) is a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå and formed in 1991. Refused is composed of vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, guitarist Kristofer Steen, drummer David Sandström, and bassist Magnus Flagge. Guita ...

, Abhinanda, Shield and Doughnuts and the local labels Desperate Fight Records and

Busted Heads Records Busted Heads Records was an independent record label operating between 1997 and 2004 in Umeå, Sweden. It released records by both local and worldwide punk and hardcore bands. The label was run by Christoffer Röstlund Jonsson, then bass player ...

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 (also known as VK) is a Swedish language, Swedish newspaper founded in 1900. It is published in Umeå, Västerbotten, Sweden. The newspaper covers regional news from the Västerbotten region (with the exception of the municipalities Malå Munici ...

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 Umeå IK () is a women's professional association football club based in the city of Umeå, in northern Sweden, and currently playing Damallsvenskan, the first tier of women's football in Sweden. They were one of the most successful football cl ...

. The men's hockey team

IF Björklöven IF Björklöven (often simply referred to as Löven) is a Swedish professional ice hockey club in Umeå, Västerbotten, in northern Sweden. The club is currently playing in the second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan as of the 2024-25 season, but h ...

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 HockeyAllsvenskan (previously Allsvenskan and SuperAllsvenskan) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league, and the second-highest league in the Swedish ice hockey system, after the Swedish Hockey League, SHL. Since the 2009–10 season, t ...

while Umeå IK plays in the top Swedish women's football league

Damallsvenskan The (; ), known as OBOS for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is one of the best women's leagues in the world, and was founded in 1988. The division consists of a league of 14 teams. From 2013, t ...

. IBK Dalen and IKSU are among the major

floorball Floorball (also known by other names) is a sport played with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. It is played indoors with sticks and a hollow plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three periods. The sport of bandy also playe ...

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 Umeå FC is a Swedish professional football club located in Umeå, Sweden. The club, formed in 1987, is currently playing in the third tier of the Swedish league, Ettan. The club is affiliated to the Västerbottens Fotbollförbund. Season to se ...

, 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

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 (

). 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 The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, or Swedish Agricultural University (, SLU) is a public research university in Sweden. Although its main campus and head office is located in Ultuna, Uppsala, the university has several campuses ...

or ''Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet'' is a university in Sweden. Although its head office is located in

(

Ultuna Ultuna () is a locality in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 449 inhabitants in 2017. Located south of central Uppsala, it hosts the headquarters and main campus of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lan ...

), 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 ABB Group is a Swedish-Swiss multinational electrical engineering corporation. Incorporated in Switzerland as ABB Ltd., and headquartered in Zurich, it is dual-listed on the Nasdaq Nordic exchange in Stockholm, Sweden, and the SIX Swiss Excha ...

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 Skanska AB () is a multinational construction and development company based in Sweden. It was established in 1887 as a concrete product manufacturer. History Aktiebolaget Skånska Cementgjuteriet (Scanian Cement Casting Ltd) was established i ...

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

(SLU) in Umeå, with

Umeå Plant Science Centre Umeå ( , , , locally ; ; ; ; ) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, Umeå is the largest locality in Norrland and the thirteenth largest in Sw ...

, is another major site of research and education. Notable companies based in Umeå include: * GE Healthcare, which produces chromatography systems such as FPLC,

HPLC High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), formerly referred to as high-pressure liquid chromatography, is a technique in analytical chemistry used to separate, identify, and quantify specific components in mixtures. The mixtures can origina ...

and

DNA sequencer A DNA sequencer is a scientific instrument used to automate the DNA sequencing process. Given a sample of DNA, a DNA sequencer is used to determine the order of the four bases: G (guanine), C (cytosine), A (adenine) and T (thymine). This is then ...

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 Siemens Financial Services GmbH (SFS) is a division of the German Siemens company that offers international financing in the business-to-business area. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. SFS serves both Siemens and externa ...

, Scandinavian HQ. *

Volvo Trucks Volvo Trucks () is a truck manufacturing division of Volvo based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Trucks was a separate company within Volvo. The Volvo Group was reorganised on 1 January 2012 and as a part of the process, Volvo Trucks ceased to b ...

. * Nasdaq Technology AB *, production facilities for tractor front-end loaders.

Notable people

Athletes * Sebastian Aho * Björn Berg *

Jesper Blomqvist Lars Jesper Blomqvist (; born 5 February 1974) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a left midfielder. Most recently he was the playing assistant manager of Superettan side Hammarby from December 2009 to November 2010. He p ...

* Jörgen Brink *

Åsa Elfving Åsa Elfving (born 1 February 1970) is a Swedish former ice hockey player for the Swedish national team. Career Growing up, Elfving supported Modo Hockey, where she would play youth hockey. She would spend a year on exchange at Northfield Mo ...

Per Elofsson Per Eilert Elofsson (born 2 April 1977 in Röbäck, Västerbotten) is a Sweden, Swedish former cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skier who competed from 1997 to 2004. He won a bronze medal in the 10 km + 10 km combined pursuit ...

* 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 Nils Gunnar Nordahl (; 19 October 1921 – 15 September 1995) was a Swedish professional footballer. A highly prolific, powerful, and physically strong striker, with an eye for goal, he is best known for his spell at AC Milan from 1949 to 1956, ...

Maria Pietilä Holmner Maria Helena Pietilä-Holmner (born 25 July 1986) is a retired Swedish World Cup alpine ski racer. She specialised in the technical events of slalom and giant slalom. Born in Umeå, Pietilä-Holmner took up alpine skiing at the age of seven. ...

Anja Pärson Anja Sofia Tess Pärson (; born 25 April 1981) is a Swedish former alpine skier. She is an Olympic gold medalist, seven-time gold medalist at the World Championships, and two-time overall Alpine Skiing World Cup champion. This included winn ...

Assar Rönnlund Bernt Assar Rönnlund (3 September 1935 – 5 January 2011) was a Swedish cross-country skier. Rönnlund's biggest success was at the 1962 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Zakopane where he won two gold medals (15 km and 4 × 10&nbs ...

* Patrik Sundström * Daniel Tjärnqvist * Tor Troéng * Marcus Wallmark Musicians * Thomas Hedlund *

Karl Backman Karl Backman, (born 27 October 1970, Umeå) is a Swedes, Swedish artist and musician. Music Backman became involved in Punk rock in 1980 and started his first punk band the Boredom Brothers in 1982 when he was squatting in Umeå. He formed ...

* Katarina Barruk *

Eva Dahlgren Eva Charlotte Dahlgren (born 9 June 1960) is a Swedish pop musician and singer-songwriter. Career Dahlgren was discovered by musician/producer Bruno Glenmark in 1978 after appearing on the TV show ''Sveriges magasin,'' and her debut album ''Fi ...

Mats Gustafsson Mats Olof Gustafsson (born 29 October 1964) is a Swedish free jazz saxophone player. Career Gustafsson came to the attention of lovers of improvised music as part of a duo with Christian Munthe (started in 1986), as member of Gunter Chris ...

Frida Hyvönen Anna Frida Amanda Hyvönen (born 30 December 1977) is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Personal life Hyvönen grew up in Robertsfors, located outside Umeå in the north of Sweden (which is also the hometown of her cousin Josephine Forsman's band ...

* Inge Johansson * Daniel Lindström *

Dennis Lyxzén Sven Olov Dennis Lyxzén (born June 19, 1972) is a Swedish singer, best known as the lead vocalist for the influential hardcore punk band Refused, as well as the bands INVSN and Fake Names. He is also a former member of bands including AC4, S ...

* Lisa Miskovsky *

Nicklas Nygren Nicklas Nygren (born 6 January 1983), better known as Nifflas, is an independent Swedish video game developer. He is known for his freeware '' Knytt'' game series along with another freeware game, '' Within a Deep Forest''. He has lived in Umeå, ...

David Sandström David Sandström (born 2 January 1975) is a Swedish musician best known as the drummer for the hardcore punk group Refused. After Refused first broke up in 1998, he and the other members worked on a project entitled TEXT and released one album. ...

Kristofer Steen Kristofer Steen (born June 26, 1974) is a Swedish musician, who was the guitarist for hardcore punk band Refused. He directed '' Refused Are Fucking Dead'', a 2006 documentary charting the demise of Refused in 1998. After Refused's demise, Stee ...

Tove Styrke Tove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke (; born 19 November 1992) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She gained popularity as a contestant on '' Swedish Idol 2009'', finishing in third place. After the show, she started a solo career in electropop. Sh ...

Morgan Ågren Morgan Ågren (born 1967) is a Swedish drummer who plays with the progressive rock band Kaipa (band), Kaipa. Biography A native of Umeå, Västerbotten County, Västerbotten, Ågren began playing drums at a young age, eventually joining forces ...

Fricky Carl Erik Friman, better known by his stage name Fricky (born 9 March 1992), is a Swedish rapper and musician. In 2018, he released his debut EP ''Aqua Aura'', which peaked at number five on the Swedish Albums Chart. The EP contained songs like ...

Infernus Roger Tiegs (born 18 June 1972), better known by his stage name Infernus, is a Norwegian black metal musician and Satanist. He is the sole founding member and chief ideologist of the black metal band Gorgoroth, formed in 1992, in addition to b ...

Fredrik Thordendal Fredrik Carl Thordendal (born 11 February 1970) is a Swedish musician best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the extreme metal band Meshuggah, of which he is a founding member. Along with Meshuggah's rhythm guitarist Mårten ...

Politicians * Ibrahim Baylan * Kjell-Olof Feldt *

Jonas Sjöstedt Tor Jonas Sjöstedt (born 25 December 1964) is a Swedish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament for the Left Party (Sweden), Left Party since 2024. He served as the leader of the Left Party from 2012 to 2020, was a member o ...

Ola Ullsten Stig Kjell Olof "Ola" Ullsten (23 June 1931 – 28 May 2018) was a Swedish politician and diplomat who was Prime Minister of Sweden from 1978 to 1979 and leader of the Liberal People's Party from 1978 to 1983. He also served as Deputy Prime ...

* Margot Wikström Other *

Stieg Larsson Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson (, ; 15 August 1954 – 9 November 2004) was a Swedish writer, journalist, and far-left activist. He is best known for writing the ''Millennium'' trilogy of crime novels, which were published posthumously, sta ...

, novelist * Stig Lindberg, artist *

David Sandberg David Sandberg may refer to: * David F. Sandberg (born 1981), Swedish filmmaker * David Sandberg (born 1985), Swedish filmmaker and actor known for ''Kung Fury ''Kung Fury'' is a 2015 English-language Swedish martial arts comedy featurette fil ...

, 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