Randaberg

Randaberg is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren, at the northern end of the Stavanger Peninsula. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Randaberg.

Randaberg is located just north of the city of Stavanger. It is the northernmost conurbation of the Stavanger/Sandnes area, one of the largest urban areas in the country. The Byfjord Tunnel connects the island municipalities of Rennesøy and Finnøy to the mainland of Randaberg. The proposed Rogfast tunnel is to be built from Randaberg, under the Boknafjorden, to the north side of the fjord as well as the island of Kvitsøy.

General information

The parish of Randaberg was established on 1 July 1922 when it was separated from the large municipality of Hetland. Initially, there were 1,256 residents of the new municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Randaberg farm (Old Norse: Randaberg), since the first Randaberg Church was built there. The first element is the plural genitive case of rönd which means "edge", "brink", or "verge" and the last element is berg which means "mountain" ; however, the meaning of berg could also be "rock", or "cliff". Before the early 1900s, the area was known as Randeberg.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times; they were granted on 26 June 1981. The arms show fourteen silver/white coins on a blue field. The arms are partly canting since the name is derived from rond which means "edge" and the coins are placed around edge of the shield. The coins symbolize the ball-shaped stones found in large amounts on the beach in Randaberg.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Randaberg. It is part of the Tungenes deanery in the Diocese of Stavanger.

Churches in Randaberg Parish (Sokn) Church Name Location of the Church Year Built Randaberg Randaberg Church Randaberg 1845 Grødem Church Grødem 2000

History

Historical population Year Pop. ±% 1951 2,116 — 1961 2,884 +36.3% 1971 4,709 +63.3% 1981 6,170 +31.0% 1991 7,681 +24.5% 2001 8,762 +14.1% 2011 10,061 +14.8% 2016 10,737 +6.7% Source: Statistics Norway.

Some of the first inhabitants of Norway settled here, and it is believed that the first people came here around 12,000 years ago. It is thought that Svarthola (local name: Vistehålå) was the main shelter for a group of 25 persons, from around 6000 BC. These people were mainly gatherers and hunters, but from around 4000 BC they also started farming. From around 2000 BC, their main activity was farming.

Attractions

During the summer the beaches here are very popular, and among the finest in the area around Stavanger. This includes Sandestraen and Vistestraen. Hålandsvannet, a small lake, is also a popular place for swimming.