is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

that is the

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

Senja Municipality Senja is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. It was established on 1 January 2020 when the municipalities of Berg, Lenvik, Torsken, and Tranøy were merged into one municipality. It is located in the traditional district of Hålogaland. ...

Troms Troms (; ; ; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The town is located on the mainland part of Norway, just across the

Gisundet Gisundet is a strait in Senja Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The long strait separates the island of Senja from the mainland. The strait flows into the Malangen fjord in the north and into the Finnfjorden (and later the Solbergfjorden) ...

strait from the island of Senja. The

Gisund Bridge Gisund Bridge () is a cantilever road bridge on Norwegian County Road 86 in Senja Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The bridge crosses the Gisundet strait from the town of Finnsnes on the mainland to the village of Silsand on the island of ...

connects Finnsnes to the suburban villages of

Silsand or is a village in Senja Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located on the eastern shore of the large Senja (island), island of Senja. The village has a population (2023) of 1,638 and a population density of . Silsand is now consider ...

and

Laukhella or is a village in Senja Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The village lies to the west of the village of Silsand on the island of Senja. It is located along the Laksfjorden, about west of the town of Finnsnes. The village and surroundin ...

on the island of Senja. The municipality is well-provided with kindergartens and a decentralized school system on both primary and secondary levels. There are also three schools on the upper secondary/high school level and a center for decentralized studies at the university level. Finnsnes Church is located in the center of the town. Finnsnes has several small suburbs that surround it, forming one large urban area. These are Sandvika/Skogen, Finnfjordbotn, Nygård, Trollvika, and

. Over the last 100 years, the town has grown from a small farm community into the center for commerce in the small region. Finnsnes has experienced extensive growth both commercially and industrially in the last few decades. In 2000, the village of Finnsnes was granted town status. The town has a population (2023) of 4,917 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of .

Transportation

The town is the regional center for the Midt-Troms region, connected by boat with the city of Tromsø to the north, the town of Harstad to the southwest, and the town of Narvik to the south. The town is serviced by

Bardufoss Airport Bardufoss Airport (; ) is a primary airport situated at Bardufoss in Målselv Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The airport, which is the civilian sector of the Royal Norwegian Air Force's (RNoAF) Bardufoss Air Station, is operated by the ...

(civilian and military), Finnfjord Havn (freight), and

Finnsnes Terminal is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town that is the administrative centre of Senja Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The town is located on the mainland part of Norway, just across the Gisundet strait from the Senja (island), island of ...

(shuttle busses, shuttle ships for Harstad and Tromsø, and the

Hurtigruten ''Hurtigruten'' (), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes"), is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally, and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports ...

). Finnsnes is an important center for transportation both on land and sea. The coastal steamer has daily calls both northbound and southbound, and Tromsø and Harstad can be reached within a little more than an hour by speedboat. Finnsnes also hosts the main office of one of the biggest transportation companies in Norway, and the local bus company on Senja takes you to and from all parts of Senja.

Norwegian County Road 86 County Road 86 () is a highway in Troms county, Norway. The eastern end of the road begins in the village of Andselv (in the Bardufoss area of Målselv Municipality). It then heads west to the Gisund Bridge connecting the mainland of Norway to ...

runs through the town and across the

connecting all of Senja to the mainland of Norway.

Economy

Senja and the surrounding region have gone through a positive development, having had the largest growth in trade and industry in

county, related to the size of the population. The municipality is making efforts to provide facilities for companies that plan to establish activity in the region. The millennium town of Finnsnes is also the regional center in the middle part of Troms, and a center of trade and service for about 35,000 people. Every summer, the town prepares for the one-week summer festival, "Finnsnes i Fest", aiming to put Finnsnes on the map. Finnsnes has two hotels. Good transportation connections make Finnsnes an attractive place for conferences. Trade and service employ many people, but Lenvik also has major companies for

fish processing The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. Although the term refers specifically to fish, in ...

and

fishing tackle Fishing tackle is the equipment used by fishermen, anglers when fishing. Almost any equipment or gear used in fishing can be called fishing tackle, examples being fishing hook, hooks, fishing line, lines, fishing bait, baits/fishing lure, lures ...

, and a melting work.

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

and

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

are still very important, and

fish farming Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial breeding of fish, most often for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. It is a particular type of aquaculture, which is the controlled cultivation and harvesting of ...

is of increasing importance for the employment of people. Prospects of education are good in the municipality.

Gateway to Senja

The town has become known as the ''Gateway to

Senja or is an island in Senja Municipality in Troms county, Norway in northern Europe. With an area of , it is the second largest island in Norway (outside of the Svalbard archipelago). It has a wild, mountainous outer (western) side facing the A ...

: the land of contrasts'', which brands itself being the Fairytale Island (''Eventyrøya''). There are several attractions in Finnsnes and the nearby island of Senja and for tourists, Finnsnes is the reference point when sightseeing in the region. The island is also called the Island of Adventure and is a Norway in miniature with mountains and fjords, small communities, nature, culture and people, hospitality and go-ahead spirit, and all kinds of weather.

Sports and culture

Finnsnes has several indoor halls for sports and facilities for both

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

. There is also a variety of cultural activities. The Finnsnes House of Culture, which opened in 1995, is the cultural center of the region. It contains a 400-seat hall for theatre and concerts and provides a varied menu of local, national, and international performers and stars. The public library of Lenvik is also situated in this building. “Midt-Tromshallen” is an indoor soccer center for the region, and at the same time a hall made for a variety of activities. There are also two major outdoor football stadiums at Finnsnes and

. The local museum at Bjorelvnes is located about north of Finnsnes. There are three soccer clubs in the town,

Finnsnes IL Finnsnes Idrettslag is a sports club in Finnsnes, Norway. It is most known for its association football, which once played in the Norwegian Second Division, the third tier of Norwegian football. It plays in the Norwegian Fourth Division The No ...

playing in the second division, IL Pioner playing in the fifth division, and

FK Senja Fotballklubben Senja is a Norwegian association football club from Silsand, Troms. The men's team currently plays in the Norwegian Fourth Division The Norwegian Fourth Division, also called 4. divisjon, is the fifth highest division of the m ...

also playing in the second division. Over the years there has been an extensive rivalry between the clubs

and

, this being largely due to the geography of the town.

References

External links

* {{authority control Senja Cities and towns in Norway Populated places of Arctic Norway 2000 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 2000