Piteå

Housing

Piteå offers a varied range of housing. There are areas with single-family houses, flats and terraced houses to buy and flats for rent. Pitebo is the municipality's housing company, which acts as agent for flats to rent. There are also a number of private housing companies. The municipality's refugee reception helps newly arrived refugees to find a flat. More about housing on Piteå municipality's website.

Language groups in the locality

The largest language groups in Piteå of those born abroad are Arabic, Persian, Dari, Somali and Tigrinya.

Associations and organisations

Piteå has more than 300 associations, primarily within sports and culture. There are also local associations for persons with a foreign background, among them an Islamic association and a Somali association. You can find all active associations in Piteå municipality's association register.

The Church of Sweden in Piteå offers homework help and sometimes arranges international parties with food and drink, in conjunction with the municipality and other actors. There is also a Red Cross association.

What is available in the immediate area

In the centre of Piteå, you are close to most things. There are two shopping malls, shops, cafés and restaurants. The social insurance office, tax office and the refugee reception are also centrally located. The employment service, library and town hall are within walking distance. Outside the town centre there are several shops that sell second-hand clothes, furniture, household goods, sports equipment and lots of other things at good prices. Repris recycling market, the Red Cross' Kupan and Second Chance.

Childcare

In Piteå, there are municipal nursery schools, independent nursery schools and one nursery school run by a parent cooperative. Some are profiled towards Reggio Emilia and Montessori, and one nursery school focuses on outdoor life and being outdoors. You can apply for a place at the education administration. Read more about nursery schools in Piteå on the municipality's website.

In Piteå there are also open nursery schools, which parents with small children can attend to meet other parents with children, Familjens Hus, which is run by the municipality and a number of meeting places in the church assembly halls in the villages, run by the Church of Sweden.

Compulsory schools and upper secondary schools

There are around 30 comprehensive schools in Piteå. The following have special profiles: Christinaskolan, which has the Swedish Ballet School's education from year 4 and music classes for years 7–9, hearing classes in Öjebyn for all school years and Norrmalmsskolan, which offers Montessori teaching for early school years.

There are two upper secondary schools. Strömbackaskolan offers many national programmes and introduction programmes. There are also programmes with national intake – Dance and Industrial Fitter. Grans naturbruksskola offers upper secondary teaching specialising in agriculture and animals and introduction programmes.

Piteå also has a special comprehensive school and training school, Rönnskolan, in central Piteå and also special upper secondary school and operational training at Strömbackaskolan.

Education opportunities

Adult education offers comprehensive level courses, upper secondary level courses, special adult education, various types of vocational training and Swedish for Immigrants (SfI). Via the study and careers guidance at Vägledningscentrum, you will get all the help you need in your choice of profession and adult studies at all levels, including university, college, vocational college and folk high schools.

Piteå also has Framnäs folk high school and the School of Music, which is part of Luleå University of Technology, offering a number of courses and programmes – primarily within music, communications and media. Luleå University of Technology is within commuting distance, with good bus communications.

All new arrivals in Sweden are offered social orientation about how Sweden works. This is arranged via the Refugee Reception.

Health and medical care

Piteå's Älvdal hospital has a number of departments and an accident and emergency ward. The municipality has five health centres run by the region and one which is privately run. Several of these have maternity care and child health care centres, and physiotherapists.

There are find general dental clinics in the municipality, one specialist orthodontics clinic and one dental technical laboratory. There is specialist dental care.

Interpreter assistance

If you cannot speak and understand Swedish, you can get an interpreter for your contacts with public authorities or healthcare appointments. Each authority is responsible for arranging this.

Public transport

Bus traffic in Piteå is operated by Citybuss. All routes pass through the centre. Länstrafiken operates the routes that go to the villages and neighbouring municipalities. Länstrafiken's buses depart from the bus station.

The nearest train stations are in Älvsbyn and Luleå, and you can find train times on SJ.se. Luleå Airport is the nearest airport, with many daily departures to Stockholm and other destinations.

Work and entrepreneurship

There are almost 3,800 companies in Piteå. There are two major paper factories, several sawmills, a strong engineering sector and a growing service sector. Other industries in constant development are renewable energy, the visitor industry and also creative and cultural industries.

Piteå municipality is the largest employer, with around 3,500 employees.

Piteå municipality also runs Piteå Företagarcentrum, offering advice and support to persons who want to start their own company.