Örnsköldsvik

Housing

Living in your own house is the commonest way to live. You can also live in a cooperative flat which you own yourself or a rented flat. The municipal company Övikshem has flats to rent in central Örnsköldsvik and also in Köpmanholmen, Bjästa, Bredbyn and Husum. There are also numerous private property owners who rent out flats. On the municipality's website you'll find a list with contact details for accommodation companies and estate agents in Örnsköldsvik.

Language groups in the locality

Many different languages are spoken in Örnsköldsvik municipality. These include Thai, Arabic, Tigrinya​, Somali, Dari/Farsi, Russian, French, Swahili and English.

Associations and organisations

At Mötesplats Centrum in Örnsköldsvik you can meet people from different parts of the world. Everyone is welcome, regardless of their ethnic background, language, or cultural or religious affiliation. Several of the larger communities also have multicultural meeting places and different types of networks to promote interaction and contact between established locals and new arrivals.

A popular attraction is the largest theme pool called Paradiset which is located in the centre of Örnsköldsviks. There are a number of swimming pools, gyms and sports facilities located around the municipality. Football, ice hockey and skiing are popular sports in the municipality.

There is also a large number of interest groups, cultural, ethnic and religious organisations and communions. You can search in the municipality's association register for different associations in Örnsköldsvik municipality.

What is available in the immediate area

In the town of Örnsköldsvik there are shops selling all types of goods, second-hand shops and shops with exotic provisions. There is also a library and all the public services you might need. In the town centre there are also local authority offices as well as tax office, job centre and regional social insurance office.

Childcare

There are preschools for children aged between 1 and 5 years both in the town and in the smaller communities around the municipality. One of the preschools accepts the children of parents who work in the evening, at nights and on public holidays.

Children between the ages of 1 and 5 years are entitled to a place at a preschool if their parents are working or studying. If their parents are unemployed or at home with a new-born sibling, the older child is entitled to attend preschool for 15 hours per week. Between the ages of 3 and 5 years, all children are entitled to "general preschooling" regardless of whether their parents are working or not. General preschooling means education for 15 hours a week.

Most of the preschools are run by the municipality but some are run privately. On the municipality's website you will find more information regarding preschools in Örnsköldvik municipality.

Örnsköldsvik also has so-called "open preschools" where parents can go with their children when they wish. However, the Church of Sweden also organises open activities which are aimed at small children and their parents. They tend to involve an hour or so of singing, playing and pottering about. Everyone is welcome to these regardless of which religion they observe.

Compulsory schools and upper secondary schools

At the age of six years, most children start a preparatory preschool class and at the age of seven years all children are obliged to attend school. Comprehensive schools ​are spread over the entire municipality. Children are placed at the school which is nearest to the town in which they live. If the child lives along way from the school, they can use school transport to get to school.

Nola School and Park School are upper secondary schools run by the municipality. Both schools are located in the town of Örnsköldsvik. Mikael Elias and Örnsköldsvik practical upper secondary school are independent upper secondary schools. They are also located in the town centre.

Alongside standard school education, children can also take part in independent activities at the municipal cultural school and technical school. Here, children are able to take part in artistic and creative activities in their spare time.

In Örnsköldsvik municipality there are special schools for both children and adults. Special schools are for people who, due to a developmental issue or acquired brain damage, have difficulty coping with studies in ordinary schools.

Education opportunities

If you are interested in studying or changing jobs, you can apply for adult education in Örnsköldsvik. Örnsköldsvik offers adult education at basic and upper secondary level and also special adult education for people with functional disabilities. You can study Swedish for immigrants in the daytime, during the evening or through distance learning.

Örnsköldsvik municipality offers social studies for immigrants who have recently settled in Sweden. To become established more quickly, the municipality offers extended social studies. Trained social communicators offer social studies in Örnsköldsvik municipality in a wide range of languages. For more information, contact the municipality's integration unit.

Folk high schools can be found in Mellansel and Örnsköldsvik. You can also search for different vocational college training or the training programmes and courses organised by Umeå University in Örnsköldsvik. The courses currently offered can be found via Campus Örnsköldsvik.

If you need advice and support regarding your study plans, free study and vocational guidance ​is offered at many locations in Örnsköldsvik.

Health and medical care

Örnsköldsvik has a hospital for emergency and advanced medical care. There are health centres in the centre of town and in Domsjö, Själevad, Bjästa, Bredbyn and Husum-Trehörningsjö. Some health centres are run by Region Västernorrland while others are privately run. You can choose which health centre you want to belong to.

The region provides public dental care in Domsjö, Bredbyn, Husum and Örnsköldsvik. In addition there are several private dentists' surgeries.

The region's Vårdguiden website has information to help you find care services close to where you live. This information is available in several languages.

Interpreter assistance

Örnsköldsvik municipality does not have its own interpreting service. If you need interpreting help in your dealings with the municipality, healthcare service or any other authority, it is the authority's responsibility to arrange interpreting. It is your own responsibility to tell them you require interpreting assistance.

Public transport

Örnsköldsvik airport is located in Gideå, approximately 25 kilometres from the town. From there, there are domestic flights to Stockholm-Arlanda and periodically certain charter departures as well.

Travelling on the Bothnia Line, you can take a train north towards Luleå via Umeå and south via Kramfors, Härnösand, Sundsvall towards Stockholm. There are train stations in Örnsköldsvik and Husum. Book your journey via SJ's website.

From Örnsköldsvik you can travel by bus to the northern part of the country and also around the municipality. Most of the bus services leave from the travel centre in Örnsköldsvik. Town buses stop at Örnparken below the market place in Örnsköldsvik. Timetables can be found on the county's transport website.

If you want to visit the archipelago, you can take a ferry from Köpmanholmen to the islands of Ulvön and Trysunda all year round.

Work and entrepreneurship

The biggest employers in the municipality are Örnsköldsvik municipality and Region Västernorrland.

The manufacturing industry employs many people in the municipality. BAE Systems Hägglunds, Metsä Board, Bosch Rexroth, Aditya Birla/Domsjö fabriker and Sanmina SCI are large technology-based companies which all have in excess of 300 employees.

The proximity of towns such as Umeå, Nordmaling and Härnösand means that the labour market for those who live in Örnsköldsvik is bigger than in the municipality itself. It takes less than an hour to travel by train to Umeå and Nordmaling and the journey to Härnösand doesn't take much longer which means it is perfectly possible to live in Örnsköldsvik and commute to work in our neighbouring municipalities.