Mo i Rana (South Sámi: Måehvie / Mååfe, Ume Sámi: Muoffie, Lule
Sámi: Måvvå, Northern Sámi: Muoffi) is a town which is an
administration center in Rana municipality on Helgeland in Nordland.
From 1923 to 1964, it was a charging station and a separate urban
municipality.
The municipal council adopted city status in
1997. Mo i Rana is the fourth largest city in northern Norway, after
Tromsø, Bodø and Harstad. It is also the second largest city in
Nordland with 18,898 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020
Geography, history and business
Mo i Rana is located in the
innermost part of the Ranfjord, south of Saltfjellet and the Arctic
Circle. The Ranelva, which is Nordland's second longest watercourse,
has its outlet in the city. Outside the city center we find
Langneset on the south side and Båsmoen and Ytteren on the north
side of the Ranfjord. East of the city center is Gruben on the south
side and Selfors on the north side of the Ranelva. Since 1964, the
city has been the headquarters of Rana municipality, which is the
largest municipality in Nordland and the fourth largest in Norway.
Mo i Rana is one of four towns on Helgeland; the other three are
Mosjøen, Brønnøysund and Sandnessjøen. It is also one of three
industrial cities in Nordland, together with Narvik and Mosjøen. Mo
i Rana was previously often referred to as "Jernverksbyen", where
Norsk Jernverk was a cornerstone company. The city's industrial
history also includes DIOC, Rana Gruber, Norsk Koksverk, Ruukki
Profiler, etc .; most of the industry is today centered in Mo
Industrial Park, with Celsa Armeringsstål and Elkem as central
companies. Since 1989, the city has undergone an extensive
transformation, and is now marketed as the "Arctic Circle City". The
National Library, NRK's licensing department, the Norwegian
Collection Agency and NAF Helgeland are located in Mo i Rana.
Private players include EVRY Mo i Rana, two savings banks, four
shopping centers, four hotels and a number of other companies in
transport, trade and tourism. After the opening of Campus Helgeland
in 2013, the city has also become a student city.
Sagbakken
Stadium was opened in 2009 and is used by the local football club
Rana fk. Hoppbakken Fageråsbakken is located in Langneset, and is
owned by Mo Skilag. Skillevollen sports park is located at Båsmoen.
It includes Skillevollen alpine center with two ski jumps, biathlon
arena, light trail and a slope for children. The sports hall
Ranahallen contains a 3,500 m² large living room for sports and
commercial fairs, the swimming hall Moheia bad includes. Outside the
hall there is an outdoor artificial turf pitch with district
heating. Cultural activities are handled by Rana Museum,
Kinoteateret, Nordland Teater and Åarjelhsaemien Teatere (South Sami
Theater), as well as by music festivals and a number of associations
and teams.
The city is a communication center and a meeting
point for transport arteries. The E6 passes through the city, north
to Bodø (229 km), and south to Mosjøen (87.9 km) and Trondheim
(477.5 km). East of the city center, the E6 and national road 12
(Rv12) meet; which changes Rv12 name to Europavei 12 and connects
the city with Sweden and Finland. To the east it is about 40 km to
the national border, 97.4 km to Hemavan and 473.6 km to Umeå, before
the road continues by ferry over to Vaasa, and on to Helsinki (1013
km). In a westerly direction, Rv12 changes its name to county road
17, popularly called the "coastal highway", and provides a road
connection with the Helgeland coast. It is 68 km to Nesna and 96.9
km to Kilboghamn in Rødøy municipality.
On 1 January 1838, Mo
became a seat in Mo county, which until 13 March 1839 also included
Sør-Ranen parish (later Hemnes county). From 1 January 1923 to 31
December 1963, Mo was also an independent urban municipality. Since
1 January 1964, it has been the administrative center of Rana
municipality.
Etymology
Mo is a widespread and old farm
name, which in several places has become the name of a parish or
settlement. It comes from the Norse mór, pluralis móar, which means
«mo» or «dry sand plain». It was originally the name of a farm on
the site, and has throughout history occurred in several different
forms: Møe and Moe in 1567, Mou in 1610, Moe in 1614, Moen and Moenn
in 1661 and Mo in 1666. The farm is mentioned during the census in
1666 as Mo in Raen's celebration, in Helgeland prostitute, in
Alstahaug parish. In 1723 and later the names Moe and Mo. are used.
The meaning of the word Rana is more uncertain. In the 1500s and
1600s the name was written Radenn, Rade, Raenn, Raen (1666) or Ran.
Ran was the dative form of Rana (nominative), but was used as a
nominative, from which the name Ranen arose (1731). The name Rana
was adopted by the local administration in 1920.
'Rana' may
be derived from the Norse river name Raðund. Raðr means fast, fast,
fast, radig, and is connected to the Ranelva, but it can also refer
to the current in the Ranfjord. The river name Radantia (today
Rednitz) in Germany has a related Urindo-European origin in *
rodhos, «river course».