Umeå

Umeå is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. It is on the Ume River. Umeå is the largest locality in Norrland and the thirteenth largest in Sweden.

When Umeå University was started in 1965, the city grew fast. The amount of housing doubled in 30 years from 1980 to 2010. In 2018, Umeå was gaining about 1,000 people each year. The city plans to have 200,000 people by 2050.

Umeå is a university town. It is a centre for learning and research in northern Sweden. There are two universities in the city, Umeå University and one of the three main parts of SLU. They have about 40,000 students. Umeå was the European Capital of Culture in 2014, together with Riga in Latvia. Umeå is certified by the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations program.

Ten countries have consulates in Umeå. Umeå has hosted Rally Sweden since 2022.

History

People have lived in the Umeå river valley for thousands of years. The oldest rock carvings near Umeå are from about 3,000 BCE. In the past, the area was settled by Germanic peoples who traveled north by boat.

Umeå was first mentioned in writing in the 14th century. It grew as a parish with a wooden church and a trading post. In 1622, King Gustavus Adolphus re-established the town. Umeå faced challenges, including fires, but it kept growing. Today, it is called "Björkarnas Stad," or "The City of Birches," because many silver birch trees were planted after a big fire in 1888.

Geography

Umeå is where the Ume River meets the Gulf of Bothnia, in the south of Västerbotten. It is about 600 km north of Stockholm and 400 km south of the Arctic Circle. This makes it the biggest city in that northern part of Sweden.

The city has cold winters and warm summers. In January, temperatures are around −7 °C. In July, they are about 16 °C. Even though it is far north, Umeå’s summers can feel warm because it is near the sea.

Demography

The population of Umeå has grown since the 1960s, especially after the university was built. This growth has brought many new residents from outside of Sweden and students from different parts of the country.

As of 2015, about 10.4% of the people living in the municipality of Umeå were born in another country. The most common countries of origin for these residents were Finland, Iraq, Iran, and Somalia.

Transportation

Umeå has good road connections with two major European highways, E4 and E12. It is also on the Blue Highway, a scenic tourist route. The highway stretches from Mo i Rana in Norway, through Finland, to Pudozh in Russia.

The city has a local bus system at Vasaplan in the centre. Umeå Airport is about 4 kilometres away. The Bothnia Line railway connects Umeå to southern Sweden. There is also a ferry service called the Wasaline that travels to Vaasa in Finland.

Culture

Umeå is a lively cultural center in northern Sweden. The city is home to the Opera of northern Sweden, called the Norrland Opera. It also has the Museum of Contemporary Art and Visual Culture.

Every year, Umeå holds the Umeå Jazz Festival, one of the larger jazz festivals in Scandinavia.

Umeå is also known for music, especially metal and hardcore punk. Famous metal bands from the city include Cult of Luna, Bewitched, Meshuggah, Naglfar, Nocturnal Rites, and Persuader. In 2014, Umeå was named a European Capital of Culture together with Riga. The city is an important place for television, with SVT Nord and TV4’s northern office there.

Sports

Umeå has several sports clubs. The women's football club Umeå IK and the men's hockey team IF Björklöven are well-known. IBK Dalen and Team Thorengruppen are important floorball teams.

In 2018 and 2020, Umeå was named Sweden’s best sports city. It is also where the FIA World Rally Championship’s Rally Sweden is held. In 2022, Rally Sweden moved to Umeå because it gets more snow there.

Education and research

Umeå University has many students and teachers. The university started in the 1960s, and since then, the city's population has grown a lot. Umeå has become a modern city because of the university, along with its traditional industries in northern Sweden (Norrland).

Another important school is the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Its main office is in Uppsala, but it has campuses in Umeå too. This school is funded by the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation. There is also a big university hospital that helps people in northern Sweden.

Economy

Umeå is a place where important learning centers, like Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, study topics such as plants, people, technology, and nature. These schools work together with big companies like ABB, Volvo, Skanska, Ericsson, and Öhrlings PwC to help make new discoveries.

Some well-known companies have their main offices or important places in Umeå. These include GE Healthcare, which makes tools for studying tiny parts of living things, Handelsbanken, Komatsu Forest, Siemens Financial Services, Volvo Trucks, Nasdaq Technology AB, and Ålö AB, which makes tractor parts.

Notable people

Umeå has been home to many famous people from different areas. One is Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, who built one of the world’s biggest furniture companies. Another is Marzia Kjellberg, a well-known YouTuber with millions of fans. These people have helped make Umeå famous around the world.