| Skjerstad | |
| Former: | yes |
| Idnumber: | 1842 |
| County: | Nordland |
| District: | Salten |
| Capital: | Misvær |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1838 |
| Preceded: | none |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 2005 |
| Demonym: | Skjerstadværing |
| Language: | Bokmål |
| Mayor: | Sissel Jakobsen |
| Mayor Party: | SV |
| Mayor As Of: | 2003-2005 |
| Elevation Max M: | 1284.52 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [1] |
| Area Rank: | 216 |
| Area Total Km2: | 465.4 |
| Population As Of: | 2003 |
| Population Rank: | 408 |
| Population Total: | 1030 |
| Population Density Km2: | 2.2 |
| Population Increase: | -15.8 |
| Coordinates: | 67.117°N 15.0011°W |
Skjerstad (in Norwegian pronounced as /ˈʂæ̀ːʂtɑ/) is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 465km2 municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2005. The area is now part of Bodø Municipality in the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre was the village of Misvær. Another village in the municipality was the village of Skjerstad where Skjerstad Church was located. The municipality generally encompassed the area around the Misværfjorden, although it originally was much larger, also including the entire present-day Fauske Municipality.[2]
Prior to its dissolution in 2005, the 465km2 municipality was the 216th largest by area out of the 434 municipalities in Norway. Skjerstad Municipality was the 408th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,030. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 15.8% over the previous 10-year period.[3] [4]
The municipality of Skjerstad was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1905, most of Skjerstad Municipality located on the north side of the Skjerstadfjorden (population: 4,646) was separated to form the new Fauske Municipality. In 1949, a small district of Skjerstad Municipality (population: 10) was transferred to neighboring Saltdal Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, the small area of Skjerstad Municipality on the north side of the fjord (population: 224) was transferred to neighboring Bodin Municipality. On 1 January 2005, Skjerstad Municipality was merged with Bodø Municipality to form a new, larger Bodø Municipality. Just prior to the merger (in 2004), the population of Skjerstad Municipality was 1,030.[5]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Skjerstad farm (non|Skírastaða) since the first Skjerstad Church was built there. The first element possibly comes from the old name for the local river which means "pure" or "clear". The last element is which means "homestead" or "farm".[6]
The coat of arms was granted on 14 July 1991 and they were in use until 1 January 2005 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Vert, a millstone argent" (no|I grønt en sølv kvernstein). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a millstone or grinding stone. The millstone has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The millstone was chosen to symbolize all the large and small mills that existed in Skjerstad in the past. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.[7] [8] [9]
The highest point in the municipality was the 1284.52m (4,214.3feet) tall mountain Lurfjelltinden, located on the border with Beiarn Municipality and Bodø Municipality. The municipality was located southeast of Bodø Municipality, southwest of Fauske Municipality, west of Saltdal Municipality, and northeast of Beiarn Municipality.
While it existed, Skjerstad Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[10] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.
The mayor (no|ordfører) of Skjerstad was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:[11] [12]
The municipal council Norwegian: (Kommunestyre) of Skjerstad was made up of 13 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
. Norges Sivile, Geistlige, Rettslige og Militære Inndeling 1. Januar 1951 . 1951-01-01 . H. Aschehoug & Co. . Norges Offisielle Statistikk . Oslo, Norge . no . Statistics Norway.
. Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt . 1905 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 16 . Kristiania, Norge . 218 . Norwegian . Oluf Rygh.