At the time if its dissolution in 2020, the 120-square-kilometre (46 sq mi) municipality is the 365th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Skodje is the 211th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,680. The municipality's population density is 42.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (110/sq mi) and its population has increased by 24.8% over the last decade.[4][5]
The municipality of Skodje was established in 1849 when it was separated from the large Borgund municipality. The initial population of Skodje was 2,170. On 1 January 1902, the northern district of Skodje was separated to form the new Vatne Municipality. This left Skodje with 1,551 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, there was a merger between Stordal Municipality, Ørskog Municipality, and Skodje Municipality, creating a new, large Ørskog Municipality. This was merger was short-lived. On 1 January 1977, the merger was reversed all three municipalities were separated once again. This left the newly reconstituted Skodje Municipality with a population of 2,634.[6]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Skodje farm (Old Norse: Skǫðin) since the first Skodje Church was built there. The first element comes from the word skað which has an unknown meaning. The last element is vin which means "meadow" or "pasture". Before 1879, the name was written Skoue.[8]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 June 1987 and they were in use until the municipality was dissolved on 1 January 2020. The official blazon is "Vert, an arched embattled bridge Or" (Norwegian: På grøn grunn ei gull kvelvingsbru med tindar). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is an arched bridge design. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The design was meant to mimic the local Skodje Bridge, a very old bridge which crosses over the Straumen river, a major architectural feat at its time. The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11]
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Skodje is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown for the final municipal council was as follows:
Skodje's economy was mostly based on agriculture and forestry, but there was also industry, lumber, and furniture-industry located there.[27] By the 21st century, some industries had relocated from the nearby town of Ålesund to Skodje. Skodje had a young population, where 60% of the people were under the age of 40.
