Overhalla

Overhalla kommune
Municipality

Coat of arms

Nord-Trøndelag within
Norway

Overhalla within Nord-Trøndelag
Coordinates: 64°30′28″N 11°53′38″E / 64.50778°N 11.89389°E / 64.50778; 11.89389Coordinates: 64°30′28″N 11°53′38″E / 64.50778°N 11.89389°E / 64.50778; 11.89389
Country Norway
County Nord-Trøndelag
District Namdalen
Administrative centre Ranemsletta
Government
  Mayor (2011) Per Olav Tyldum [1] (Sp)
Area
  Total 729.79 km2 (281.77 sq mi)
  Land 688.79 km2 (265.94 sq mi)
  Water 41.00 km2 (15.83 sq mi)
Area rank 149 in Norway
Population (2011)
  Total 3,636
  Rank 243 in Norway
  Density 5.3/km2 (14/sq mi)
  Change (10 years) 0.3 %
Demonym(s) Overhallning[2]
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code NO-1744
Official language form Neutral
Website www.overhalla.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

Overhalla is a municipality in Nord-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.

General information

The municipality of Overhalla was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). On 1 January 1964, the Galguften and Hauknes area (population: 15) of Høylandet was transferred to Overhalla.[3]

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.[4][5]

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from 1989, but is 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.[5]

Churches

Ranem Church

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

Churches in Overhalla
Parish
(Sokn)
Church NameLocation
of the Church
Year Built
RanemRanem ChurchRanemsletta1187
SkageSkage ChurchSkage1903

Geography

View of the river Namsen

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.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Overhalla is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to every four years. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:[6]

Overhalla Kommunestyre 2015–2019
Party NameName in NorwegianNumber of
representatives
 Labour PartyArbeiderpartiet5
 Progress PartyFremskrittspartiet2
 Conservative PartyHøyre1
 Centre PartySenterpartiet13
Total number of members:21

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.

Notable residents

References

  1. "Ordføreren i Overhalla" (in Norwegian). Overhalla kommune. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
  2. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  3. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  4. Rygh, Oluf (1903). Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Trondhjems amt (dokpro.uio.no) (in Norwegian) (15 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 306.
  5. 1 2 "Fakta om Overhalla" (in Norwegian). Overhalla kommune. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  6. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway. 2015.
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