Umeå

Umeå is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, Umeå is the largest locality in Norrland and the thirteenth largest in Sweden, with a wider municipal population of 132,235 inhabitants in the beginning of 2023.

When Umeå University was established in 1965, growth accelerated, and the amount of housing has doubled in 30 years from 1980 to 2010. As of 2018, Umeå was gaining around 1,000 inhabitants per year and the municipality plans for having 200,000 inhabitants by 2050.

Umeå is a university town and centre of education, technical and medical research in northern Sweden. The two universities located in the city, Umeå University and one of the three main branches of SLU, host around 40,000 enrolled students. CRISPR gene editing was developed by researchers, headed by Emmanuelle Charpentier at Umeå University, being awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Umeå was the European Capital of Culture during 2014, along with Riga in Latvia. Umeå is certified by the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations program.

Consulates from ten countries can be found in Umeå. Umeå has been the home of Rally Sweden since 2022.

History

People have lived in the Umeå river valley for thousands of years. The oldest rock carvings near Umeå are from about 3,000 BCE. In the past, the area was settled by Germanic peoples who traveled north by boat.

Umeå was first mentioned in writing in the 14th century. It grew as a parish with a wooden church and a trading post. In 1622, King Gustavus Adolphus re-established the town. Umeå faced challenges, including fires and attacks, but continued to grow. Today, it is known as "Björkarnas Stad," or "The City of Birches," because of the many silver birch trees planted after a big fire in 1888.

Geography

Umeå is located where the Ume River meets the Gulf of Bothnia, in the southern part of Västerbotten. It lies about 600 km north of Stockholm and 400 km south of the Arctic Circle, making it the largest city in that northern area of Sweden.

The city has cold winters and warm summers. January temperatures average around −7 °C, while July averages about 16 °C. Though far north, Umeå’s summers can feel quite warm thanks to its position near the sea.

Demography

The population of Umeå has grown steadily since the 1960s, especially after the university was built. This growth has brought many new residents from outside of Sweden and students from different regions of the country.

As of 2015, about 10.4% of the people living in the municipality of Umeå were born in another country. The most common countries of origin for these residents were Finland, Iraq, Iran, and Somalia.

Transportation

Umeå has good road connections with two major European highways, E4 and E12, running through the city. It is also on the Blue Highway, a scenic tourist route that stretches from Mo i Rana in Norway, through Finland, to Pudozh in Russia.

The city has a local bus system based at Vasaplan in the centre, and Umeå Airport is about 4 kilometres away. The Bothnia Line railway connects Umeå to southern Sweden, offering a quick trip to Stockholm in about six and a half hours. There is also a ferry service called the Wasaline that travels to Vaasa in Finland in about four hours.

Culture

Umeå is a vibrant cultural hub in northern Sweden. The city is home to the Opera of northern Sweden, known as the Norrland Opera, and also hosts the Museum of Contemporary Art and Visual Culture. Every year, Umeå holds the Umeå Jazz Festival, which is one of the bigger jazz festivals in Scandinavia.

Umeå has also been a key place for music, especially metal and hardcore punk. Famous metal bands from the city include Cult of Luna, Bewitched, Meshuggah, Naglfar, Nocturnal Rites, and Persuader. In 2014, Umeå was named a European Capital of Culture alongside Riga. The city is also an important center for television, with SVT Nord and TV4’s northern office located there.

Sports

Umeå is home to several sports clubs. The women's football club Umeå IK and the men's hockey team IF Björklöven are well-known. IBK Dalen and Team Thorengruppen are important floorball teams.

In 2018 and 2020, Umeå was named Sweden’s best sports city. It is also where the FIA World Rally Championship’s Rally Sweden is held. In 2022, Rally Sweden moved to Umeå because it gets more snow there.

Education and research

Umeå University has around 37,000 students and 4,200 staff. The university opened in the mid-1960s, which helped grow the city's population from about 50,000 to over 121,000 today. This growth continues, with about 1,100 new people moving to Umeå each year. Because of the university, Umeå has become a modern and educational city, adding to the traditional industries of northern Sweden (Norrland).

Another important school in Umeå is the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. While its main office is in Uppsala, it has campuses in several places, including Umeå. This university is funded by the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation. There is also a large university hospital that helps people across northern Sweden.

Economy

Umeå is a place where important learning centers, like Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, study topics such as plants, people and technology, and nature. These schools work together with big companies like ABB, Volvo, Skanska, Ericsson, and Öhrlings PwC to help make new discoveries.

Some well-known companies have their main offices or important places in Umeå. These include GE Healthcare, which makes tools for studying tiny parts of living things, Handelsbanken, Komatsu Forest, Siemens Financial Services, Volvo Trucks, Nasdaq Technology AB, and Ålö AB, which makes tractor parts.

Notable people

Umeå has been home to many famous individuals across different fields. Among them are Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, known for creating one of the world’s largest furniture companies. Another notable person is Marzia Kjellberg, a popular YouTuber who has millions of fans worldwide. These individuals have helped make Umeå well-known around the globe.