Most residents of Alstahaug live in the town of Sandnessjøen which is situated on the island of Alsta. The characteristic Seven Sisters mountain range is found on the eastern part of the island. Local legend has made this chain of peaks into seven sisters, two adjacent peaks representing twin sisters.
The 188-square-kilometre (73 sq mi) municipality is the 308th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Alstahaug is the 137th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,421. The municipality's population density is 39.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (102/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0.4% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
General information
The large prestegjeld of Alstahaug was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1862, the southern district (population: 2,781) was separated to become the new Tjøtta Municipality (Vevelstad Municipality was later separated from Tjøtta Municipality). This left Alstahaug Municipality with about 3,280 residents. Just two years later, in 1864, the western island district (population: 2,438) was separated to become the new Herøy Municipality. Then on 1 July 1899, the northern district (population: 2,673) was separated to form the new Stamnes Municipality (Leirfjord Municipality was later separated from Stamnes).[7]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, several major municipal changes took place. First, the Husvær island area of Alstahaug (population: 461) was transferred from Alstahaug Municipality to Herøy Municipality. On the same day, the following areas were merged to form the new, larger Alstahaug Municipality:[7]
most of Tjøtta Municipality, except the Skogsholmen area (population: 1,477)
On 1 January 1971, the Skålværet islands (population: 32) were transferred from Vega Municipality to Alstahaug Municipality. On 1 January 1995, the mainland areas of Alstahaug Municipality (population: 70) were transferred to Vefsn Municipality.[7]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Alstahaug farm (Old Norse: Alastarhaugr) since the first Alstahaug Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the islandAlöst (now Alsta). The linguist Magnus Olsen believed this old island name means "eel grounds" and it was an old taboo word for the sea. The last element is haugr which means "hill" or "mound".[8][9]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 8 August 1986. The official blazon is "Argent, a fessengrailedazure" (Norwegian: I sølv en blå bjelke dannet ved taggesnitt). This means the arms have a field (background) that has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a fess (bar) with engrailed edges running horizontally through the arms. The design symbolizes the Seven Sisters (Norwegian: De syv søstre), a row of mountains in the area, mirrored in the clear waters of the fjord. The arms were designed by Jarle E. Henriksen.[10][11][12]
Lying just south of the Arctic Circle in an area that is known as Outer Helgeland, Alstahaug offers the visiting bird watcher a chance to do some birding in spectacular scenery, be it coastal or inland where The Seven Sisters mountain chain marks the boundary between the habitats. One of the better areas to birdwatch is the island of Tjøtta. Here you will find the small nature reserve Ostjønna.
The official weather station is located at Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka, on Alsta island. Alstahaug has a temperate oceanic climate (marine west coast climate). The record high was recorded July 2019, and the all-time low was recorded February 2010. The warmest high recorded in the municipality is 33.1 °C (92 °F) recorded July 2019 at Tjøtta island. The November record high 19.4 °C (67 °F) set 6 November 2003 is warmest November temperature recorded in Nordland.
Climate data for Sandnessjøen Airport 1991-2020 (17 m, precipitation Tjøtta, extremes 2003-2024)
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Alstahaug 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 political party.
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Alstahaug is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position (incomplete list):[35]