Randaberg is located just north of the city ofStavanger. It is the northernmost conurbation of theStavanger/Sandnes area, one of the largest urban areas in the country. TheByfjord Tunnel connects the islands ofStavanger Municipality to the east with the mainland of Randaberg. TheRogfast tunnel is going to be built from Randaberg, under theBoknafjorden, to the north side of the fjord as well as to the island ofKvitsøy.
The 25-square-kilometre (9.7 sq mi) municipality is the 350th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Randaberg is the 99th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,671. The municipality'spopulation density is 483.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,253/sq mi) and its population has increased by 12.3% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
The parish of Randaberg was established on 1 July 1922 when it was separated from the large municipality ofHetland. Initially, there were 1,256 residents of the new municipality. The municipal borders have not changed since that time.[6]
The municipality (originally theparish) is named after the oldRandaberg farm (Old Norse:Randarberg) since the firstRandaberg Church was built there. The first element is the pluralgenitive case ofrǫnd which means "edge" or "rim". The last element isberg which means "mountain", "rock" or "cliff". Before the early 1900s, the area was known asRandeberg.[7]
Thecoat of arms was granted on 26 June 1981. The officialblazon is"Azure, fourteenplates inorle" (Norwegian:I blått 14 sølv mynter langs randen). This means the arms have a bluefield (background) and thecharge is a set of fourteen circles that outline the shield. The charge has atincture ofargent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The circles are meant to symbolize silver coins. The arms are partlycanting since the name of the municipality is derived from a word that means "edge" and thecoins are placed around edge of the shield. The coins symbolize the ball-shapedstones found in large amounts on thebeach in Randaberg. The arms were designed by Truls Nygaard who based it off a preliminary design by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag is rectangular and has the same design as the coat of arms.[8][9][10]
Randaberg is still an active agricultural community, and produces over 80% of Norway'sparsley. About 3/5 of the land is arable, and about 2% of the inhabitants are engaged in agriculture. Dairy production, chickens, and pigs are important industries. OnlyKlepp municipality surpasses Randaberg in agricultural production in Rogaland county. The firstpotatoes every year are grown here in Randaberg and are given to theRoyal Family of Norway. However, due to its close proximity to the large city ofStavanger, the area is becoming more urban. There are three mainsuburbs of Stavanger where most of Randaberg's residents live:Randaberg sentrum (310 houses), Viste/Goa (315 houses), andGrødem (135 houses).
Some of the first inhabitants of Norway settled here, and it is believed that the first people came here around 12,000 years ago. It is thought thatSvarthola (local name: Vistehålå) was the main shelter for a group of 25 persons, from around 6000 BC. These people were mainlygatherers and hunters, but from around 4000 BC they also started farming. From around 2000 BC, their main activity was farming.
Themunicipal council (Kommunestyre) of Randaberg is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by politicalparty.
During the summer the beaches here are very popular, and among the finest in the area aroundStavanger. This includesSandestraen andVistestraen.Hålandsvannet, a small lake, is also a popular place for swimming.