Prior to its dissolution in 1962, the 94.5-square-kilometre (36.5 sq mi) municipality was the 544th largest by area out of the 731 municipalities in Norway. Skatval Municipality was the 454th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,983. The municipality's population density was 21 inhabitants per square kilometre (54/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 3.8% over the previous 10-year period.[6][7]
Skatval is divided in several geographical parts listed here counterclockwise from north: Langstein, Nordbygda, Sørbygda, Midtbygda, and Vassbygda. The Skatval peninsula is an important farming area, belonging to the plain districts of Trøndelag. The cultural landscape is dominated in the east by mountainous area with the highest being Forbordsfjellet at 596 metres (1,955 ft) above sea level. The mountaintop is a regional landmark.
General information
The municipality of Skatval was established on 1 January 1902 when the old Nedre Stjørdalen Municipality was dissolved and it was divided into three new municipalities: Lånke Municipality (population: 1,449) in the south, Skatval Municipality (population: 2,125) in the north, and Stjørdal Municipality (population: 3,158) in the centre. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, Skatval Municipality (population 1,944) was merged with the neighboring Hegra Municipality (population: 2,704), Lånke Municipality (population: 1,967), and Stjørdal Municipality (population: 6,204) to form a new, larger Stjørdal Municipality.[8]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Skatval farm (Old Norse: Skataválir) since the first Skatval Church was built there. The first element is skat which means the "outermost end" or "something protruding". This likely is referring to the fact that the local farms lie on a flat surface that juts out at an angle between valley depressions. The last element is the plural form of váll which means "land that's cleared by burning".[9]
The municipal council(Herredsstyre) of Skatval was made up of 21 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Skatval was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:[17]