Orkanger | |
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![]() View of the industrial area with the city in the background | |
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Coordinates:63°18′24″N9°51′01″E / 63.3067°N 09.8502°E /63.3067; 09.8502 | |
Country | Norway |
Region | Central Norway |
County | Trøndelag |
District | Orkdalen |
Municipality | Orkland Municipality |
Established as | |
Town (By) | 1 Jan 2014 |
Area | |
• Total | 6.85 km2 (2.64 sq mi) |
Elevation | 11 m (36 ft) |
Population (2024)[2] | |
• Total | 9,161 |
• Density | 1,337/km2 (3,460/sq mi) |
Demonym | Ørbygg |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Post Code | 7300 Orkanger |
Orkanger is atown[1] and theadministrative centre ofOrkland Municipality inTrøndelag county,Norway. The town sits at the end of theOrkdal Fjord, an arm of theTrondheimsfjord. Orkanger is the commercial centre ofOrkland Municipality and it is the site of theOrkanger Church. It was established as a "town" in 2014.[4]
Combined with the neighbouring suburban village ofFannrem, theconurbation constitutes one of the largest urban areas inTrøndelag county. The 6.26-square-kilometre (1,550-acre) town has a population (2018) of 8,204 and apopulation density of 1,311 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,400/sq mi).[2]
Just north of the center of Orkanger, lies theport ofThamshavn. Until 1974, Orkanger had a station on theThamshavn Line railway with theThamshavn Station just north of the town. The railway line closed for passenger traffic in 1963 but continued to transport ore fromLøkken Verk to the Thamshavn port until 1974 when the line was closed to all traffic. The line through most of Orkanger was dismantled following the closure, but about 22 kilometres (14 mi) of the original line from Bårdshaug to Løkken Verk has been re-opened as aheritage railway.
Between 1908 and 1949 there was asteam ship service to Trondheim on theSSOrkla. TheEuropean route E39 highway runs through the town, connecting it to the major city ofTrondheim, about 42 kilometres (26 mi) to the northeast.
Historically, the village area that preceded the town of Orkanger was known asOrkdalsøra.
The area made up of the village ofOrkdalsøra and the port ofThamshavn was established asOrkanger Municipality on 1 July 1920 when the largeOrkdal Municipality was divided into three smaller municipalities: the northern urban port area (population: 1,715) became Orkanger Municipality, the southern part (population: 1,760) becameOrkland Municipality, and the central area (population: 3,045) remained asOrkdal Municipality. Orkanger Municipality encompassed the 6.64-square-kilometre (2.56 sq mi) urban area and some of the surrounding countryside. It included an importantport, but it did not have the designation of atown at that time.[5]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of theSchei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Orkanger Municipality (population: 2,874) was merged withOrkdal Municipality (population: 4,152),Orkland Municipality (population: 1,707), andGeitastrand Municipality (population: 559) to form a new, larger Orkdal Municipality.[5]
In 2014, the municipal council ofOrkdal Municipality declared the urban area of Orkanger to be a "town".
The town is named "Orkanger", a name that was created in 1920 whenOrkanger Municipality was established. The first element isOrk, which stems from the lakeOrkelsjøen from which the riverOrkla runs. The meaning of the name is of the lake and river is not certain. The last element isangr which means "inlet" or "smallfjord".[4][6]
Orkanger is one of the most important industrial centres in Trøndelag. The industrial sites are mainly located in theGrønøra area, just west of the mouth of theOrkla river.Technip Offshore Norge AS,Reinertsen,Washington Mills [no] and the foundryElkem Thamshavn AS are the main operators in the area.
A chipboard factory operated in Orkanger from 1959 until 1976.