Alver Municipality Alver kommune | |
|---|---|
 View of Veland along the Hindnesfjorden | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Vestland within Norway | |
 Alver within Vestland | |
| Coordinates:60°40′00″N05°20′00″E / 60.66667°N 5.33333°E /60.66667; 5.33333 | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Vestland |
| District | Nordhordland |
| Established | 1 Jan 2020 |
| • Preceded by | Lindås,Radøy,Meland |
| Administrative centre | Knarvik |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2023) | Ingrid Fjeldsbø (H) |
| Area | |
• Total | 679.16 km2 (262.23 sq mi) |
| • Land | 650.57 km2 (251.19 sq mi) |
| • Water | 28.58 km2 (11.03 sq mi) 4.2% |
| • Rank | #168 in Norway |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 29,920 |
| • Rank | #37 in Norway |
| • Density | 46/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| • Change(10 years) |  +10.1% |
| Demonyms | Alver-mann Alver-kvinne Alver-folk[1] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Nynorsk |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-4631[3] |
| Website | Official website |
Alver is amunicipality inVestland county,Norway. It is located in thetraditional district ofNordhordland. Theadministrative centre of the municipality is the village ofKnarvik. Other villages includeAlversund,Alver,Isdalstø,Lindås,Ostereidet,Seim,Manger,Askeland,Austmarka,Bøvågen,Haugland,Sæbø,Sletta,Frekhaug,Hjartås,Holme,Io,Krossneset,Meland, andRossland.
The 679-square-kilometre (262 sq mi) municipality is the 168th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Alver is the 37th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 29,920. The municipality's population density is 46 inhabitants per square kilometre (120/sq mi) and its population has increased by 10.1% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
The municipality was established on 1 January 2020 when the three neighboring municipalities ofLindås,Radøy, andMeland were merged into one large municipality.[6]
The municipality is named after the oldAlver farm (Old Norse:Alviðra). The first element isallr which means "whole" or "entire". The last element is thegenitive case of the wordveðr which means "weather". Thus it is probably referring to the location which is exposed to the weather from all directions. It is the same root as the other local names likeAlversund andAlverstraumen.[6][7][8]
Thecoat of arms was adopted in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020. Theblazon is"Azure, a bridge over a boat argent". This means the arms have a bluefield (background) and thecharge is an arched road bridge with a boat going underneath. The charge has atincture ofargent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. It symbolizes that the fact that bridges tie the municipality together and the boat has been a means of transportation in the area for centuries.[9][10]
TheChurch of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Alver. It is part of theNordhordland prosti (deanery) in theDiocese of Bjørgvin.
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knarvik | Alversund Church | Alversund | 1879 |
| Knarvik Church | Knarvik | 2014 | |
| Lygra Church | Luro | 1892 | |
| Seim Church | Seim | 1878 | |
| Lindås | Hundvin Church | Hundvin | 1936 |
| Lindås Church | Lindås | 1865 | |
| Myking Church | Myking | 1861 | |
| Meland | Meland Church | Meland | 1866 |
| Ostereidet | Ostereidet Church | Ostereidet | 1988 |
| Radøy | Hordabø Church | Bøvågen | 1875 |
| Manger Church | Manger | 1891 | |
| Sæbø Church | Sæbø | 1883 | |
| Emigrant Church, Sletta | Sletta | 1997 | |
| Vike | Vike Church | Vikanes | 1891 |
Alver Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatienthealth services,senior citizen services,welfare and othersocial services,zoning,economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by amunicipal council ofdirectly elected representatives. The mayor isindirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[11] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of theHordaland District Court and theGulating Court of Appeal.
Themayors (Nynorsk:ordførar) of Alver:
Themunicipal council(Kommunestyre) of Alver is made up of 41 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 6 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 6 | |
| Green Party(Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 8 | |
| Industry and Business Party(Industri‑ og Næringspartiet) | 4 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 6 | |
| Red Party(Raudt) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 41 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 | |
| People's Action No to More Road Tolls(Folkeaksjonen nei til meir bompengar) | 10 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 3 | |
| Green Party(Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 6 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 7 | |
| Red Party(Raudt) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 8 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 47 | |
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