Austrheim

Austrheim is a municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årås. Other villages in the municipality include Austrheim and Kaland. The Mongstad industrial area lies along the border of Austrheim and neighboring Lindås municipality. The westernmost point of mainland Norway lies in the municipality at Vardetangen.

The 58 km2 municipality is the 347th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Austrheim is the 235th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,856. The municipality's population density is 50.3 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 0.8% over the previous 10-year period.

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station for Austrheim and Fedje be closed.

General information
Historically, Austrheim was a part of the large Lindås Municipality. On 1 January 1910, the northwestern district of Lindås (population: 2,518) was separated from Lindås to form the new municipality of Austrheim. On 1 January 1947, all of the islands located west of the Fedjefjorden (population: 920) were separated to form the new Fedje Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Straume area on the island of Radøy (population: 56) was transferred from Austrheim to the new Radøy Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Austrheim farm (Austrheimr) since the first Austrheim Church was built there. The first element is which means "east". The last element is which means "homestead" or "village". Until 1889, the name was written Østereim. After that the spelling was Austreim, and most recently it is spelled Austrheim.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 17 February 1989. The official blazon is "Azure, three bars embowed argent" (På blå grunn tre sølv bjelkar bøygde oppover). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the ordinary is a set of three arched bars. The bars have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if the arms are made out of metal, then silver is used. The three bows represent the many bridges in the island municipality. The color blue was chosen to represent the sea and the white/silver was to represent the land. The arms were designed by Svein Skauge. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Austrheim. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government
Austrheim 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. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Austrheim (incomplete list):
 * 1975-1976: Knut Johannes Risnes (KrF)
 * 1986-1992: Knut Johannes Risnes (KrF)
 * 2003–2011: Ole Lysø (Ap)
 * 2011–2023: Per Lerøy (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Morten Sognnes (H)

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Austrheim is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Economy
The Mongstad industrial complex lies on the border of Austrheim and Lindås. It is the largest oil port and refinery in Norway, is responsible for about 70% of all wet bulk. Many residents of Austrheim work at the facility.

Geography
Austrheim is an island municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county. It is located south of the Fensfjorden, east of the Fedjefjorden, north of the island of Radøy, and west of the Lindås peninsula. The municipality includes the far northwestern tip of the peninsula as well as many islands. The largest island (by far) is the island of Fosnøyna, where the municipal centre is located.

Gulen Municipality is located to the north (across the fjord), Fedje Municipality is located on islands to the west, Alver Municipality lies to the south.

Notable people

 * Kornelius Bergsvik (1889 in Austrheim – 1975), a Norwegian politician and County Governor of Telemark
 * Karsten Solheim (1911–2000), a golf equipment manufacturer who emigrated to the United States when he was two years old
 * Haakon Austrheim, a geology professor in Oslo
 * Roger Helland (born 1993 in Austrheim), a former football player with over 230 club caps
 * Gunnar Norebø (born 1976 in Austrheim), a retired Norwegian football midfielder