Bodø, Norway

With a population of 53 000 inhabitants, Bodø is the largest urban area and town in Nordland and the second largest in North Norway. With immediate proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and spectacular mountain trails, the city offers a unique mix of nature-based and urban city life experiences. In 2024 Bodø will become the first European Capital of Culture above the Arctic Circle and is home to the famous football team Bodø/Glimt, the strongest tidal current in the world and a gateway to the Norwegian Arctic.

Established as a town in 1816, Norway was a small town until the fisheries attracted a new group of settlers. However, it was not until the reconstruction after World War II and the decision to establish Bodø Main Air Station in the 1950’s that rocketed population growth.

There has been a considerable, positive development in Bodø in recent decades. This is reflected by the fact that Bodø in 2016 was awarded the title of Norway’s most attractive city and as Norway’s cultural city in 2017.

By hosting the main campus of Nord University and one of the three Norwegian Police University College’s campus, Bodø is an important knowledge center in Northern Norway. As the home to the Norway’s military Joint Headquarters, the Norwegian rescue services, important SAR capacities, Nordland Police District, Nordland Civil Defense District and R&D in its education institutions, Bodø is known as a hub for preparedness and security.

The main project of Bodø is New City – New Airport which aims to create a completely new district with 10.000 new jobs and zero emission neighborhoods over an area the size of 800 football fields.

Do you want to learn more about Bodø? You can find more information here and here