The villages of Sørskår and Fiskå are located in northern Strand, on the southern shore of the Årdalsfjorden. This area of Strand produces fruit, vegetables, and dairy products. The Fiskå Mølle (Fiskå Mill) is located in Fiskå. The larger village of Tau is located on the western coast of Strand. It is a transportation hub with ferry connections to the city of Stavanger and bus services to nearby Hjelmelandsvågen and deeper into the Ryfylke district. About 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) southeast of Tau is the municipal center of Jørpeland. This town is the largest settlement in Strand with about 7,000 people.
The 262-square-kilometre (101 sq mi) municipality is the 278th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Strand is the 90th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 13,474. The municipality's population density is 57.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (148/sq mi) and its population has increased by 13.4% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
The cross-country and marathon mountain biker Gunn-Rita Dahle comes from Bjørheimsbygd. She has won a gold medal in the Summer Olympics 2004, in Athens. Holtaheia was the mountain behind Holta farm where 34 school boys, 2 teachers and 3 crew died, when the Cunard Viking flight 'Papa Mike' crashed into the mountain, en route to Stavanger.
General information
View of the village of TauView of the mountain GramsfjelletView of Strand ChurchFlor og Fjære a tropical garden on the island of Sør-Hidle
The parish of Strand was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1865, the large district of Høgsfjord (population: 3,203) was separated from Strand to form a new municipality, leaving a much smaller Strand municipality. This left Strand with 2,228 residents. On 1 January 1965, the Sørskår-Sundgardene area (population: 121) was transferred from the neighboring municipality of Årdal to Strand.[6] On 1 January 2020, the northwestern part of Forsand municipality was transferred to Strand (while the rest of Forsand was merged with Sandnes).
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Strand farm (Old Norse: Strǫnd) since the first Strand Church was built there. The name is identical to the word strǫnd which means "beach", "shore", or "border", likely due to its location along the fjord.[7][8]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 25 May 1973. The official blazon is "Argent, three water wheelsgules, two over one" (Norwegian: På sølv bunn tre røde vasshjul, to over ett). This means the arms have a field (background) 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 set of three water wheels (two over one). The wheels are a symbol for the hydropower, which has been of importance to the municipality, first (since 1850) by using watermills to grind corn and grains, and now using modern hydro-electric plants. The arms were designed by Odd Fjordholm. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11]
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Strand is made up of 29 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Scana Steel Stavanger AS is the largest company in Strand. Main activities include producing special steel alloys and casting for the shipping and oil/gas industry. Propellers of RMS Queen Mary 2 were made here. There are about 220 workers.
Comrod Communication ASA is a manufacturer of radio communication aerials. It makes deliveries to fisheries, shipping, oil and gas companies, and military defence. There are about 65 employees.
Culture
There are several festivals in Strand, including Ryfylke Ungdomsfestival (Ryfylke Youth Festival), Strandadagane (Strand Days) and Melting Pot (art seminar, mostly making decorative art out of scrap-iron). The annual race between Jørpeland and Tau, Strandamila, is an event which attracts hundreds of people. The race is along the highway, either by bike or on foot. Strand also has many sport facilities. There are a lot of football pitches spread around the municipality, as well as local fitness centres. Tau also has two tennis courts, a beach-volleyball field, and a basketball court, as well as Ryfylkehallen, the largest indoor football arena in the county of Rogaland.[32]
Strand experienced a strong influx of newcomers from Stavanger and Jæren starting in the late 1970s. The original social fabric was divided into factory workers at the iron mill, farmers, and the strong Lutheran tradition. The divides were in many ways exclusive, and only limited movement between the social groups was seen. In later years these divides have become significantly weaker.[citation needed]
