Førde
Town
View of the town
Førde Location of the town Show map of Vestland Førde Førde (Norway) Show map of Norway
Coordinates: 61°27′08″N 5°51′26″E / 61.4522°N 5.8572°E / 61.4522; 5.8572
Country	Norway
Region	Western Norway
County	Vestland
District	Sunnfjord
Municipality	Sunnfjord Municipality
Established as
Town (By)	1997
Area [1]
• Total	5.49 km2 (2.12 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	27 m (89 ft)
Population  (2019)[1]
• Total	10,339
• Density	1,883/km2 (4,880/sq mi)
Demonyms	Førdianar Førdianer Førdsfjordinge
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code	6800 Førde

Førde is the administrative centre of Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The town is located at the eastern end of the Førdefjorden, at the mouth of the river Jølstra. The 5.49-square-kilometre (1,360-acre) town has a population (2019) of 10,339 and a population density of 1,883 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,880/sq mi).^[1]

The town of Førde is an important commercial, industrial, and government center for the area. The Øyrane area in the center of the town, along the harbor is the regional center for industry. The town also has the local primary and secondary schools, as well as a folk high school. Furthermore, one of the two campuses of Sogn og Fjordane University College is located in Førde. The Department of Engineering and Health Sciences for the college are located here (the other campus is in Sogndalsfjøra). There is a branch of the county library in Førde as well as the Førde Central Hospital, owned by the Førde Health Trust. The regional newspaper, Firda, is based out of the town Førde. Førde Church is the main church for the town.^[3]

The town sits at the intersection of the highways Rv.5 and E39. The Rv. 5 highway connects Førde to the nearby town of Florø (via the Naustdal Tunnel) and the E39 highway connects Førde with the cities of Ålesund to the north and Bergen to the south. The old Førde Airport, Øyrane was located in the center of the town at Øyrane, but that airport was only used from 1971 until 1986. The site was not optimal for an airport, and so a new Førde Airport was built about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of the town in Bringeland in neighboring Sunnfjord municipality.

Notable people

• See also: Sunnfjord_(municipality) § Notable_people

Media gallery

• 
  The town of Førde
• 
  Downtown Førde
• 
  Førdehuset, a regional cultural centre
• 
  View of a residential area

See also

• List of towns and cities in Norway

References