Sandviken
In Sandviken, a broad range of outdoors and cultural activities awaits you, in combination with low housing and living costs. All this, in an international atmosphere surrounding the high-technology engineering company Sandvik AB.
Facts about the municipality
Population numbers
39262
Size by area
1297 km²
Housing
The major actor within the housing market in Sandviken is the municipal housing company Sandvikenhus. If you want to join Sandvikenhus' housing queue or get information about vacant flats, please go to the website.
Here you can also find private landlords and estate agents.
Language groups in the locality
The largest language groups in Sandviken are currently Arabic, Somali, Tigrinya, Kurmanji, Dari and Farsi.
Associations and organisations
Sandviken has a broad range of more than 400 associations.
What is available in the immediate area
The employment service is located in the centre of Sandviken, and the social insurance office, pension authority and tax authority also offer customer services on the same premises. The centre also has various types of shops, as well as banks, pharmacy, cinema, library and a popular swimming pool. The largest food shops are within walking distance of the centre.
Sandviken has two second hand shops with furniture and household goods. Around 15 minutes from Sandviken is Valbo shopping centre, which has a large range of shops, such as IKEA.
Sandviken's Integration Unit provides information and general services for persons born abroad. The visitor address is Björksätra centre. Telephone number to reception: 026-241715, 026-241760. The Integration Unit also has personnel able to speak Arabic, Tigrinya and Somali.
Childcare
There are 26 nursery schools providing child day care in the municipality. There are also two family centres with open nursery schools and three units for educational care. The operation is characterised by security and good routines, laying the foundation for future learning.
Compulsory schools and upper secondary schools
Sandviken has eight compulsory comprehensive schools: Vallhovsskolan, Jernvallsskolan, Murgårdsskolan, Montessoriskolan, Sätraskolan, Söderskolan, Björksätraskolan.
Sandviken's two upper secondary schools are Bessemerskolan and Göransonska skolan.
Education opportunities
For adults wishing to study, there are many opportunities depending on what you are interested in and at what level you want to study. Examples are adult education, special adult education, Swedish for immigrants, further education, etc.
Health and medical care
If you need health and medical care, there are three medical centres in Sandviken.
The nearest accident and emergency centre is in Gävle, which is around 25 km from Sandviken.
Sandviken also has family centre/antenatal care centre.
If you need dental care, there is public dental care at Folktandvården and a number of private dental clinics in Sanviken municipality.
Interpreter assistance
If you do not speak or understand Swedish, you are entitled to help from an interpreter of your language when contacting public authorities. The Integration Unit in Sandviken has personnel that can speak Arabic, Somali and Tigrinya, as a large number of persons newly arrived in the municipality speak these languages.
Public transport
There is good public transport by both bus and train (X-trafik, SGS-bussen, Tåg i Bergslagen and SJ) to major cities, such as Gävle (20 min) and Stockholm (2 hours). Buses and trains leave from Sandviken travel centre.
Work and entrepreneurship
Sandviken is home to the high-technology engineering company Sandvik AB. The technology park Sandbacka Park houses just over 50 different companies within technology and computing/IT in particular, together employing 900 persons. Each day, almost 9,000 persons commute to and from work and schools in Sandviken. More people commute into Sandviken, 4,996, than out, 3,963 (figures from 2011).
In Sandviken municipality, the company employs more than 3,100 persons.
