Stjørdalen is a valley and a
traditional districtThe country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...
in
Nord-Trøndelagis a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
county,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It makes up the southern part of the
InntrøndelagInntrøndelag or Inn-Trøndelag is a traditional district that encompasses the southern half of Nord-Trøndelag county in Norway. It usually includes the area surrounding the inner part of the Trondheimsfjord...
region.
Stjørdalen is named after the
StjørdalselvaStjørdalselva is a long river that reaches from near the Norwegian–Swedish border down the Stjørdalen valley through the municipalities of Meråker and Stjørdal before entering the Trondheimsfjord. The mouth is located between the villages of Stjørdalshalsen and Hell just south of Trondheim...
river which flows through the valley. The valley stretches 75 kilometres (46.6 mi) from the
TrondheimsfjordThe Trondheimsfjord , an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's third longest fjord at long. It is located in the west central part of the country, and it stretches from Ørland in west to Steinkjer in north, passing the city of Trondheim on its way...
eastward towards the
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
border. The valley consists of the present-day municipalities of
Stjørdalis a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stjørdal, also called Stjørdalshalsen...
and
MeråkerMeråker is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Midtbygda which is about west of Storlien in Sweden and east of Stjørdalshalsen in Stjørdal. Other villages in Meråker include Gudåa,...
. The
European route E14European route E 14 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Trondheim, Norway and ends in Sundsvall, Sweden. The road is in length....
highway and the Meråker Line railway follow the river through the length of the valley.
History
Stjørdalen was once a municipality of its own. It was established on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
), but in 1850 it was split to create the two new municipalities of
Øvre StjørdalØvre Stjørdal is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It encompassed the present-day municipality of Meråker as well as part of the present-day municipality of Stjørdal.-History:...
and
Nedre StjørdalNedre Stjørdal is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It covered the western part of the present-day municipality of Stjørdal.-History:...
. At that time Stjørdalen had a population of 11,642.
On 1 January 1874,
Øvre StjørdalØvre Stjørdal is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It encompassed the present-day municipality of Meråker as well as part of the present-day municipality of Stjørdal.-History:...
was split into the two municipalities of almost equal size:
HegraHegra is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The former municipality encompassed most of the eastern part of the present-day municipality of Stjørdal....
and
MeråkerMeråker is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Midtbygda which is about west of Storlien in Sweden and east of Stjørdalshalsen in Stjørdal. Other villages in Meråker include Gudåa,...
. On 1 January 1901,
Nedre StjørdalNedre Stjørdal is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It covered the western part of the present-day municipality of Stjørdal.-History:...
was split into three municipalities of nearly equal sizes:
SkatvalSkatval is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Stjørdal. The inhabitants are called as Skatvalsbygg....
,
Stjørdalis a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stjørdal, also called Stjørdalshalsen...
, and
LånkeLånke is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in south-central part of the present-day municipality of Stjørdal, south of the Stjørdalselva river. The famous Hell Station in the village of Hell is situated in the westernmost part of Lånke. There are...
. On 1 January 1962,
HegraHegra is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The former municipality encompassed most of the eastern part of the present-day municipality of Stjørdal....
,
SkatvalSkatval is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Stjørdal. The inhabitants are called as Skatvalsbygg....
,
Stjørdalis a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stjørdal, also called Stjørdalshalsen...
, and
LånkeLånke is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in south-central part of the present-day municipality of Stjørdal, south of the Stjørdalselva river. The famous Hell Station in the village of Hell is situated in the westernmost part of Lånke. There are...
were merged to form the new
Stjørdalis a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stjørdal, also called Stjørdalshalsen...
municipality. On 1 June 1997,
Stjørdalis a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stjørdal, also called Stjørdalshalsen...
gained status as a city. Currently, the combined population of the municipalities of Stjørdal and Meråker is 21,738.