Kalix
Kalix is a municipality with beautiful natural surroundings, where it is easy to find lovely views to enjoy. Kalix town lies just where the Kalixälven river meets the waters of the Gulf of Botnia. Kalix has always been at the intersection between different cultures, with immigration from all four points of the compass. This has broadened our outlook on the world. One result is that our businesses are very varied, with everything from major industries to a broad range of small companies.
Facts about the municipality
Population numbers
15927
Size by area
3716 km²
Housing
New arrivals who are part of the establishment reform are helped by the municipality's refugee coordinator to find housing. If you want another type of housing, you can read more on Live in Kalix. Or you can look at the list of housing companies on the municipality's website.
Language groups in the locality
Apart from Swedish and Finnish, people in Kalix speak English, French, German, Russian, Thai, Arabic, Tigrinya and Persian. Kalix is a management area for Finnish and Meänkieli.
Associations and organisations
Apart from the usual Christian church work, the Church of Sweden arranges events and support measures for citizens both in conjunction with the Red Cross and also independently. There is also a Somali association.
There are a total of 114 associations registered on the municipality's website.
What is available in the immediate area
In the town of Kalix, there is the municipal administration, social services office, all types of shops, a mall with shops, library with a meeting area, employment service, the Red Cross recycling shop and the recycling shop JUC.
A typical family with children in Kalix lead an active leisure life. In the summers, may travel out to the archipelago with swimming and sandy beaches. In winter, swimming enthusiasts can move into the heated swimming pool of Kalix' SportCity, or do slalom or ski-boarding on the Rudträsk slopes. There are also many associations to satisfy most interests. These offer everything from amateur dramatics, bowling and dancing, to riding, role-playing or rally cross.
Childcare
Families may need information and help from the municipality in many circumstances. Kalix municipality's website therefore has links leading to information about nursery schools and schools, support and advice about financial matters, consumer advice and personal advice.
Compulsory schools and upper secondary schools
Kalix municipality has comprehensive schools located both in Kalix town and in the countryside. Nursery schools and/or family day nurseries are located adjacent to the comprehensive schools. The culture school is responsible for cultural activities within nursery schools and comprehensive schools and collaborate with the upper secondary school's music and aesthetics programme and the music programme at the Swedish-Finnish folk high school.
Our upper secondary pupils study at the municipal upper secondary school Furuhedsskolan. It currently has a very broad range of national programmes. This means that the pupils usually do not have to move away from the locality for their upper secondary studies. Close links with business means that many of our upper secondary programme have a real link to working life and the actuality that awaits the pupils.
Education opportunities
Kalix offers varied opportunities for education. Folk high school, specialising in media and journalism, Natural Resource upper secondary school, vocational training and qualification. Social orientation for new arrivals is provided via a video link and the course lasts 60 hours. Kalix UniverCity is a collective name for the municipality's investment in adult education from comprehensive to further education level. Kalix UniverCity gathers together all adult education, including colleges, Swedish for Immigrants and KY training courses. Luleå Technical University can be reached within an hour, and there are also folk high schools nearby. Studies at upper secondary level can be started at any time, as distance learning, and at a speed you can set yourself.
Health and medical care
Region Norrbotten provides medical care in Kalix, and the hospital has 60 beds as well as various wards and clinics.
Kalix municipality has two health centres run by the region. They share responsibility with Kalix municipality for maternity and child health care at Familjens Hus.
Public dental care is available close to the hospital.
Interpreter assistance
Interpreters are available via telephone at all public authorities and healthcare institutions.
Public transport
County public transport in Norrbotten run along the main roads and daily commuting to Luleå and Haparanda is easy.
Municipal public transport in Kalix provide services to housing areas in the main town and adjacent villages.
Work and entrepreneurship
The major industry in Kalix, and also in the whole of eastern Norrbotten, is the pulp and paper factory Billerud Karlsborg, with around 430 employees and a turnover of SEK 1.8 billion per year.
The municipality has around 1,700 employees and Region Norrbotten has around 775 employees.
Some of Sweden's foremost electronics companies are located in Kalix. Caretech is a world-leading company with the security alarm sector. It collaborates in education and research with our educational centre, Kalix UniverCity.
Kalix is an IT centre with several hundred people employed in the call centre sector, providing services to all of the Nordic countries.
Collaborating wood processing companies develop carpentry and building products. Setra Rolfs Såg is a sawmill with around 80 employees who process slow-growing Norrbotten pine. The head office of Sveaskog AB is in Kalix.
