Ulsteinvik
Description
Ulsteinvik is the commercial and administrative centre of the municipality (kommune) of Ulstein in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The 4.26-square-kilometre (1,050-acre) village has a population (2014) of 6,201; giving the village a population density of 1,456 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,770/sq mi). As such, Ulsteinvik contains 74% of the population of Ulstein Municipality. The town of Ulsteinvik is located on the west side of the island of Hareidlandet, about 23 kilometres (14 mi) southwest of the city of Ålesund. Ulstein Church is located in the town, serving the population of the whole municipality.
Ulsteinvik received town status on 1 July 2000.
Culture & Sports
The Sjøborg theatre, on Ulsteinvik's waterfront, has both film and live theatre venues. It shows a mixture of "global" and Norwegian feature films (3-5 different films at a time over 10-12 showings per week). In addition, it welcomes a mixture of local and touring live acts, including big band, operatic revues, English- and Norwegian-language dramatic productions and stand-up comedy.
Ulsteinvik is the home of IL Hødd, a multi-sport club that includes a Norwegian First Division (as of 2011) football team. The team has a large local following, and generates strong attendance at their stadium, Høddvoll. Hødd also offers several other sports, including handball and rhythmic gymnastics. In 2012, Hødd became national cup champions of Norway, beating Tromsø IL in the final of the 2012 Norwegian Football Cup in the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo. In addition, Ulsteinvik is the home of smaller clubs in each of basketball and rugby union (Sunnmøre Rugby). It is also the home town of Norway's first-choice football goalkeeper in the Beijing Olympics, Erika Skarbø whose father Dag is a director at Rolls Royce Marine.
Ulsteinvik is the birthplace of the underground cartoonist Øystein Runde.
Transport
Norwegian County Road 61 runs along the south edge of the town centre, and is the major route connecting Ulsteinvik to points northeast (Hareid Municipality and Sula Municipality, with connections to Ålesund Municipality) and south (the villages of Eiksund and Haddal as well as the municipalities of Herøy, Sande, and others). The Eiksund Tunnel, the world's deepest undersea tunnel, completed in 2008, connects Ulsteinvik by road to the mainland via Norwegian County Road 653.
Ulsteinvik is served by one bus company: Nettbuss Midt-Norge. However, the express route that connects Ulsteinvik directly to Oslo is operated under the Nettbuss express brand.
Ulsteinvik is 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the Ørsta-Volda Airport, Hovden, which has several-daily flights to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and Sogndal Airport, Haukåsen. It is also served by the Ålesund airport, 60 kilometres (37 mi) away, but with a broader selection of national and international flights.