Os, Innlandet

Os is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Os i Østerdalen. The municipality is located to the west of the municipality of Røros and to the south of the municipalities of Midtre Gauldal and Holtålen in Trøndelag county. In Innlandet county, Os is located to the west of the municipality of Tolga and to the north of the municipality of Engerdal.

The 1040 km2 municipality is the 110th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Os is the 288th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,844. The municipality's population density is 1.8 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 9.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Os was historically part of Tolga Municipality. On 1 July 1926 the parish of Os (population: 1,936) was separated from Tolga to become a separate municipality. In 1927, a small area of Tolga (population: 18) was transferred to the municipality of Os. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1966, the municipality of Os (population: 2,015) was merged with the municipality of Tolga (population: 1,944) to form the new municipality of Tolga-Os. This arrangement was not well-liked by the local residents so after a few years, the municipalities began to ask to undo the merger. On 1 January 1976, the merger was reversed and the municipalities of Os (population: 1,859) and Tolga (population: 1,865) were re-established using their old boundaries.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Os farm (Óss) since the first Os Church was built there in 1703. The name is identical with the word which means "mouth of a river" (here it is referring to the Vangrøfta river running out into the Glomma river).

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 9 July 1993. The official blazon is "Vert, three bells Or" (I grønt tre gull bjeller, 2-1). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is three cowbells (two over one). The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The design symbolizes both traditional and modern business life in the mountain municipality of Os. At the same time, the design is intended to signal hope for the future. The three bells are an image of unity and cooperation between the three main parts of the municipality. The arms were designed by Kjell Akeren. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms, although the bells are slightly off centre, closer to the flagpole.

Churches
The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Os. It is part of the Nord-Østerdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Government
Os 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 Østre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Os is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors of Os:


 * 1926-1931: Hans Narjord (V)
 * 1932-1934: Sigvart Odden (Bp)
 * 1935-1937: Hans Narjord (V)
 * 1938-1940: Sigvart Odden (Bp)
 * 1941-1945: Jørgen Øian (NS)
 * 1945-1955: Olav Hummelvold (Bp)
 * 1956-1959: John Holm (Bp)
 * 1960-1965: Olav Hummelvold (Bp)
 * (1966-1975: Part of Tolga-Os Municipality)
 * 1976–1985: Tore Christoffersen (Ap)
 * 1986–1993: Inge Kroken (Ap)
 * 1995-2007: Arnfinn Nergård (Sp)
 * 2007-2011: Arne Grue (Ap)
 * 2011-2015: Arnfinn Nergård (Sp)
 * 2015–2023: Runa Finborud (Sp)
 * 2023–present: Ivar Midtdal (Sp)

Geography
Lakes in the region include Flensjøen, Femunden, and Siksjøen. The mountains Forollhogna and Håmmålsfjellet are located in Os. The large river Glomma runs through the northern part of the municipality.

Notable people

 * Arnfinn Nergård (born 1952), a Norwegian politician who was mayor of Os and also county mayor of Hedmark

Sport

 * Annar Ryen (1909 in Os – 1985), a Norwegian cross-country skier
 * Viggo Sundmoen (born 1954 in Os), a Norwegian former footballer with 150 club caps
 * Randi Langøigjelten (born 1957), a retired Norwegian middle-distance runner
 * Therese Johaug (born 1988 in Os), a Norwegian cross-country skier and three-time Olympic medallist
 * Jon Aukrust Osmoen (born 1992 in Os), a Norwegian orienteering competitor