Coordinates: 58°36′23″N 05°43′29″E / 58.60639°N 5.72472°E / 58.60639; 5.72472
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Hå Municipality
Hå kommune
Haa herred  (historic name)
View of the Brusandstrand beach in Hå
View of the Brusandstrand beach in Hå
Rogaland within Norway
Rogaland within Norway
Hå within Rogaland
Hå within Rogaland
Coordinates: 58°36′23″N 05°43′29″E / 58.60639°N 5.72472°E / 58.60639; 5.72472
CountryNorway
CountyRogaland
DistrictJæren
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Disestablished1 Jan 1894
 • Succeeded byNærbø and Varhaug municipalities
Re-established1 Jan 1964
 • Preceded byNærbø, Varhaug, and Ogna municipalities
Administrative centreVarhaug
Government
 • Mayor (2023)Andreas Bjorland (KrF)
Area
 • Total258.00 km2 (99.61 sq mi)
 • Land247.84 km2 (95.69 sq mi)
 • Water10.16 km2 (3.92 sq mi)  3.9%
 • Rank#281 in Norway
Population
 (2023)
 • Total19,649
 • Rank#67 in Norway
 • Density79.3/km2 (205/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +11.4%
DemonymHåbu[1]
Official language
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1119[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is the southernmost municipality in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Varhaug. Other villages in Hå include Brusand, Hæen, Nærbø, Obrestad, Ogna, Sirevåg, and Vigrestad.

The 258-square-kilometre (100 sq mi) municipality is the 281st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Hå is the 67th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 19,649. The municipality's population density is 79.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (205/sq mi) and its population has increased by 11.4% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]

General information[edit]

View of the Hå landscape
Sandy beaches at Ogna, in the southern part of the municipality.

The parish of Haa was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1894, the municipality of Haa was dissolved and divided into two new municipalities: Nærbø (population: 1,806) and Varhaug (population: 1,801). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Hå was recreated by merging of the neighboring municipalities of Nærbø (population: 3,926), Varhaug (population: 3,454), and Ogna (population: 1,470).[6] In local politics, the divisions between the three previous municipalities remain very visible.

Name[edit]

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old farm (Old Norse: Háar or Háir) where the local church priest's parsonage was located. The river running past this farm is similarly named the Hååna, meaning the "Hå river". It is not known if the river is named after the farm or vice versa. The meaning of the original name is uncertain. It is possible that it comes from the plural dative case of the word which means "aftergrass" (the grass that grows after the first crop has been cut down). Ti may also come from the word hár which means "rowlock" (possibly referring to the shape of the headland on which the farm is located).[7] On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Haa with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled , using the letter å instead.[8][9]

Coat of arms[edit]

The coat of arms was granted on 5 July 1991. The official blazon is "Sable, a winch stand argent." (Norwegian: På svart grunn eit sølv vinsjestativ). This means the arms have a black field (background) and the charge is a winch stand. The winch stand has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. It is a special type of winch that has historically been used in this area to remove stones from the many farm fields. The arms were chosen to symbolize the hard living on the rocky soils of the municipality. A winch of this type (called a "steinbukk") is used locally for the removal of large stones from the soil for agricultural purposes. It's three legs also represent the three previous municipalities of Nærbø, Varhaug, and Ogna that were merged to creat Hå in 1964. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[10][11][12]

Churches[edit]

The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Hå. It is part of the Jæren prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

Churches in Hå
Parish (sokn) Church name Location of the church Year built
Nærbø Nærbø Church Nærbø 2005
Old Nærbø Church Nærbø 1834
Ogna Ogna Church Ogna 1250
Varhaug Varhaug Church Varhaug 1904

Government[edit]

Hå Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[13] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council[edit]

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hå is made up of 33 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Hå kommunestyre 2023–2027 [14]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 2
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Industry and Business Party (Industri‑ og Næringspartiet) 1
  The Conservatives (Konservativt) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 8
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
 Hå List (Hå-lista)4
Total number of members:33
Hå kommunestyre 2019–2023 [15]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
 Hå List (Hå-lista)9
Total number of members:33
Hå kommunestyre 2015–2019 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
 Nærbø List (Nærbølista)10
 Common list for southern Hå
(Samlingsliste for søre Hå)
1
Total number of members:33
Hå kommunestyre 2011–2015 [17]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 6
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
 Nærbø List (Nærbølista)11
Total number of members:33
Hå kommunestyre 2007–2011 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 2
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
 Nærbø List (Nærbølista)12
Total number of members:33
Hå kommunestyre 2003–2007 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
 Nærbø List (Nærbølista)6
Total number of members:33
Hå kommunestyre 1999–2003 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 8
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
 Nærbø List (Nærbølista)6
Total number of members:37
Hå kommunestyre 1995–1999 [18]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 9
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 10
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
 Nærbø List (Nærbølisten)8
Total number of members:37
Hå kommunestyre 1991–1995 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 8
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
 Nærbø List (Nærbølisten)9
 Varhaug local list (Varhaug bygdeliste)2
 Vigrestad local list (Vigrestad bygdeliste)1
 Ogna local list (Ogna bygdeliste)1
Total number of members:37
Hå kommunestyre 1987–1991 [20]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and
Liberal People's Party (Liberale Folkepartiet)
1
 Nærbø List (Nærbølisten)10
 Varhaug local list (Varhaug bygdeliste)4
 Vigrestad local list (Vigrestad bygdeliste)2
 Ogna local list (Ogna bygdeliste)2
 Nærbø Non-partisan Common List (Nærbø Upolitiske Samlingsliste)1
Total number of members:37
Hå kommunestyre 1983–1987 [21]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 6
  Liberal People's Party (Liberale Folkepartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
 Nærbø List (Nærbølisten)10
 Varhaug local list (Varhaug bygdeliste)7
 Vigrestad local list (Vigrestad bygdeliste)4
 Ogna local list (Ogna bygdeliste)3
Total number of members:37
Hå kommunestyre 1979–1983 [22]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 7
 Nærbø List (Nærbølisten)11
 Varhaug local list (Varhaug bygdeliste)5
 Vigrestad local list (Vigrestad bygdeliste)3
 Ogna local list (Ogna bygdeliste)3
Total number of members:37
Hå kommunestyre 1975–1979 [23]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 5
 Nærbø List (Nærbølisten)14
 Varhaug local list (Varhaug bygdeliste)8
 Vigrestad local list (Vigrestad bygdeliste)5
 Ogna local list (Ogna bygdeliste)3
Total number of members:37
Hå kommunestyre 1971–1975 [24]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 13
Total number of members:37
Hå kommunestyre 1967–1971 [25]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 26
Total number of members:37
Hå kommunestyre 1963–1967 [26]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 33
Total number of members:37

Mayors[edit]

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Hå (incomplete list - missing 1838-1894):[27]

  • 1964-1967: Erik Årsland (LL)
  • 1968-1969: Erik P. Skretting (LL)
  • 1970-1975: Kjell Lund (LL)
  • 1976-1979: Kåre Sandve (KrF)
  • 1980-1983: Gabriel S. Rimestad (LL)
  • 1984-1985: Mindor Jelsa (LL)
  • 1986-1987: Rasmus Pollestad (KrF)
  • 1988-1989: Kjell Lund (Ap)
  • 1990-1991: Eldar Odland (LL)
  • 1992-1993: Ingvar Gausland (LL)
  • 1994-1995: Tobias Skretting (Sp)
  • 1995-1999: Eldar Odland (Sp)
  • 1999-2003: Gunnar Siqveland (H)
  • 2003-2011: Terje Mjåtveit (LL)
  • 2011-2015: Mons Skrettingland (H)
  • 2015-2023: Jonas Skrettingland (KrF)
  • 2023-present: Andreas Bjorland (KrF)[28]

Population[edit]

Historical population
Year1855186518751891189419641970198019902000201020202023
Pop.2,8593,0043,2183,4093,6078,8509,97812,29013,03413,92116,34218,99119,649
±% p.a.—    +0.50%+0.69%+0.36%+1.90%+1.29%+2.02%+2.11%+0.59%+0.66%+1.62%+1.51%+1.14%
Note: The municipality was dissolved in 1894 and it was recreated in 1964.
Source: Statistics Norway[4][29] and Norwegian Historical Data Centre[30]

Geography[edit]

Hå municipality is located on the southwestern shore of Norway, along the North Sea. The municipality is located mostly in the very flat, coastal Jæren district. The southeastern part of the municipality begins to get a little hilly and rocky and it marks the border of the Dalane district (located to the south and east). Much of the land in Hå is used for agriculture because of its flat landscape. The river Hååna runs through the municipality. The shoreline of the municipality is marked by the Kvassheim Lighthouse and Obrestad Lighthouse.[31]

Settlements[edit]

List of the largest villages in Hå[32]
Name Population Area (km2) Population density per km2
Brusand 428 0.2 2,140
Hæen 588 0.43 1,367
Nærbø 6,995 3.28 2,133
Ogna 360 0.31 1,161
Sirevåg 627 0.7 896
Varhaug 3,114 1.57 1,983
Vigrestad 2,116 1.18 1,793

Weather[edit]

Hå has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb), also known as marine west coast climate. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below 0 °C (32.0 °F)) in spring is 16 April[33] and average date for first freeze in autumn is 10 November[34] giving a frost-free season of 207 days (1981-2010 average).

Climate data for Obrestad Lighthouse in Hå 1991-2020
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.4
(39.9)
3.9
(39.0)
5.2
(41.4)
8.4
(47.1)
11.5
(52.7)
14
(57)
16.8
(62.2)
17.8
(64.0)
15.1
(59.2)
11.4
(52.5)
7.9
(46.2)
5.5
(41.9)
10.2
(50.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.8
(37.0)
2
(36)
3.1
(37.6)
5.9
(42.6)
9.1
(48.4)
11.7
(53.1)
14.3
(57.7)
15.1
(59.2)
12.9
(55.2)
9.2
(48.6)
5.9
(42.6)
3.6
(38.5)
8.0
(46.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.4
(32.7)
−0.3
(31.5)
1
(34)
3.4
(38.1)
6.5
(43.7)
9.5
(49.1)
12.2
(54.0)
12.7
(54.9)
10.6
(51.1)
6.9
(44.4)
3.6
(38.5)
1.1
(34.0)
5.6
(42.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 132
(5.2)
100
(3.9)
88
(3.5)
67
(2.6)
64
(2.5)
67
(2.6)
88
(3.5)
127
(5.0)
130
(5.1)
155
(6.1)
152
(6.0)
130
(5.1)
1,309
(51.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 15.0 11.2 13.3 11.2 11.5 10.7 11.4 13.9 16.6 17.5 18.3 16.6 167.2
Source 1: yr.no/Norwegian Meteorological Institute (mean, precipitation][35]
Source 2: NOAA-WMO averages 91-2020 Norway [36]

Transportation[edit]

The Sørlandet Line runs through the municipality, making several stops. The stations in Hå include Brusand Station, Nærbø Station, Ogna Station, Sirevåg Station, Varhaug Station, and Vigrestad Station.

Notable people[edit]

Jacob Rasch

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ a b Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  7. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1915). Norske gaardnavne: Stavanger amt (in Norwegian) (10 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 104.
  8. ^ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1917. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 1000. 1917.
  9. ^ Den Nye rettskrivning : regler og ordlister (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norge: Den Mallingske Boktrykkeri. 1918.
  10. ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Hå, Rogaland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 4 July 1991. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  13. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Rogaland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Rogaland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  17. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Rogaland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  18. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  24. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  25. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  27. ^ "Liste over ordførarar i Hå". Hå kommune (in Norwegian). 7 November 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  28. ^ "Ordførar Andreas Bjorland". Hå kommune (in Norwegian). 23 October 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  29. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Folketelling 1960" (PDF) (in Norwegian).
  30. ^ Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet. "Censuses in the Norwegian Historical Data Archive (NHDC)".
  31. ^ Store norske leksikon. "Hå" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  32. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 2015). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
  33. ^ "Siste frostnatt om våren". 4 May 2012.
  34. ^ "Første frostnatt". 25 September 2013.
  35. ^ "eKlima Web Portal".
  36. ^ "NOAA WMO normals Norway 1991-2020".

External links[edit]