Stange

is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Stangebyen. Other villages include Bekkelaget, Espa, Bottenfjellet, Ilseng, Ottestad, Sandvika, Sinnerud, Starhellinga, Tangen, and Romedal.

The 724 km2 municipality is the 157th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Stange is the 59th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 21,356. The municipality's population density is 33.3 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 10% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Stange was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of Romedal (population: 6,441) and Stange (population: 9,734) were merged to form a new, larger municipality of Stange with a population of 16,175 residents. On 13 July 1956, a small part of the municipality of Vang (population: 24) was transferred to Stange municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Stange farm (Stangir) since the first Stange Church was built there. The name is the plural form of which means "bar", "pole", or "rod". (The farm is lying on a long hill, and this is probably the background for the name.)

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 20 June 1986. The official blazon is "Vert, a plough argent" (I grønt en sølv ard). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a medieval plough called an ard. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design symbolizes this historic importance of agriculture in the area; originally the growing of grains and then later growing potatoes. The arms were designed by Arne Løvstad. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has five parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Stange. It is part of the Hamar domprosti (arch-deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Media
The newspaper Stangeavisa has been published in Stange since 2004.

History
Archeological finds indicate agricultural settlements in the area well before the Viking Age. Since the shortest route from the south to Hamar went through the area, there have also been trade and hospitality there since time immemorial. Stange has its own historical association that publishes articles, short research topics, as well as authoritative works on the area's history.

Stange Church is located in Stangebyen. The church is mentioned in 1225 in Håkon Håkonsen's saga and the current church building was constructed around the year 1250.

The Atlungstad Distillery was established in Stange in 1855.

Geography
The municipality is situated on the east side of the lake Mjøsa. It borders the municipalities of Hamar on the north; Løten, Våler, and Åsnes to the east; Nord-Odal to the south; and Eidsvoll to the west.

The municipality can be roughly divided into two areas: the northern area, with rich and fertile agricultural land; and a southern area with craggy, forested area (the Stange Commons). As a result, the northern section is dominated by large, prosperous farms; the southern part by small, marginal farms. The rivers Lageråa and Svartelva both run through the municipality.

Government
Stange 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 Stange is made up of 35 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 (ordfører) of Stange:


 * 1838–1840: Michel Andersen Saxlund
 * 1841–1842: Even Christensen Ringnes
 * 1843–1846: Ole Erichsen Frostad
 * 1847–1848: Martinus Hansen Lalum
 * 1849–1850: Severin Michelsen Saxlund
 * 1851–1854: Martinus Hansen Lalum
 * 1855–1856: Ole Nilsen
 * 1857–1859: Iver Jonsen Grimerud
 * 1859–1866: Severin Michelsen Saxlund
 * 1867–1870: Mons Olsen Hosmestad
 * 1871–1874: Anders Christophersen Musli
 * 1875–1882: Ludvig Anton Øwre
 * 1883-1884: Ole Nilsen Ringens
 * 1885-1888: Jakob Christophersen Gaustad
 * 1888-1888: Lars Christiansen Schjerden
 * 1889-1892: Jakob Christophersen Gaustad
 * 1893–1898: Carl Wedel-Jarlsberg
 * 1899-1901: Ole Nilsen Ringens
 * 1902-1904: O. Rostad
 * 1905-1907: Frantz Blehr
 * 1908–1916: Hans Helmersen Sørholte
 * 1917-1917: M. Hestnes
 * 1918–1919: Albert Sørlie
 * 1920–1922: Ebbe Carsten Morten Astrup
 * 1923-1926: Martin Hestnæs (Ap)
 * 1926–1941: Kristian Fjeld (Ap)
 * 1941-1942: Ottar Opsand (NS)
 * 1943-1945: E. Wollebæk (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Kristian Fjeld (Ap)
 * 1946–1951: Christian Stensbak (Ap)
 * 1952–1976: Arnljot Johnstad (Ap)
 * 1977–1983: Jens K. Nybruket (Ap)
 * 1984–2007: Jan Tyriberget (Ap)
 * 2007–2022: Nils A. Røhne (Ap)
 * 2022–present: Bjarne H. Christiansen (Ap)

Twin towns – sister cities
Stange has sister city agreements with the following places:
 * 🇸🇪 Botkyrka, Sweden
 * Brøndby, Denmark

Notable people

 * Bolette Gjør (1835–1909), a Norwegian writer and inner missionary who was brought up in Romedal
 * Otto Blehr (1847 in Stange – 1927), an attorney and Prime Minister of Norway from 1902 to 1903
 * Holm Hansen Munthe (1848 in Stange – 1898), a Norwegian architect of the Dragon Style
 * Kristoffer Olsen Oustad (1857 in Romedal – 1943), a Norwegian-American engineer who built bridges
 * Hulda Garborg (1862 at Såstad farm – 1934), a novelist, playwright, poet, folk dancer, and theatre instructor who kindled interest in the bunad tradition
 * Eiliv Austlid (1899–1940), a farmer and army officer who lived at Såstad Søndre farm from 1924
 * Ingrid Semmingsen (1910–1995), the first female professor of history in Norway who grew up in Stange
 * Odvar Nordli (1927 in Tangen – 2018), a politician and Prime Minister of Norway from 1976 to 1981
 * Nils A. Røhne (born 1949 in Stange), a Norwegian politician and Mayor of Stange from 2007
 * Linda Bakke (born 1973), a Norwegian artist who lives in Stange
 * Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (born 1978), a leader of the Centre Party who grew up in Romedal
 * Bård Lahn (born 1983 in Stange), a Norwegian environmentalist with Natur og Ungdom

Sport

 * Trygve Brudevold (born 1920 in Stange – 2021), a bobsledder who competed at the 1956 Winter Olympics
 * Ole Holm (1870 in Stange – 1956), a rifle shooter and team silver medallist in the 1906 Summer Olympics
 * Eskil Rønningsbakken (born 1979 in Vallset), an entertainer who does dangerous balancing acts and tightrope walking