Vest-Agder was one of 18 counties (fylker) in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. Its area was about 7,277 square kilometres (2,810 sq mi). The county administration was located in its largest city, Kristiansand.
Vennesla is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vennesla. Other villages in Vennesla include Grovane, Hægeland, Homstean, Mushom, Øvre Eikeland, Øvrebø, Røyknes, and Skarpengland. Vennesla lies about 17 kilometres (11 mi) north of the city of Kristiansand in the Otra river valley.
Songdalen is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1964 until 2020 when it was merged with Søgne and Kristiansand municipalities to form a new, much larger Kristiansand municipality in what is now Agder county. It was located in the traditional district of Sørlandet, just outside of the city of Kristiansand. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Nodeland. Other villages in the municipality included Brennåsen, Finsland, Kilen, Nodelandsheia, and Volleberg. The Sørlandsbanen railway line ran through the municipality, stopping at Nodeland Station. The European route E39 highway also ran through the southern part of the municipality.
Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation of the municipalities of Søgne and Songdalen into the greater Kristiansand municipality. In addition to the city itself, Statistics Norway counts four other densely populated areas in the municipality: Skålevik in Flekkerøy with a population of 3,526 in the Vågsbygd borough, Strai with a population of 1,636 in the Grim borough, Justvik with a population of 1,803 in the Lund borough, and Tveit with a population of 1,396 in the Oddernes borough. Kristiansand is divided into five boroughs: Grim, which is located northwest in Kristiansand with a population of 15,000; Kvadraturen, which is the centre and downtown Kristiansand with a population of 5,200; Lund, the second largest borough; Søgne, with a population of around 12,000 and incorporated into the municipality of Kristiansand as of January 2020; Oddernes, a borough located in the west; and Vågsbygd, the largest borough with a population of 36,000, located in the southwest.
Nissedal is a rural municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Treungen. The municipality of Nissedal was established on January 1, 1838. As of 2018, Nissedal is home to 1,489 full-time residents and 2,246 vacation homes.
Lillesand is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Lillesand. Some of the larger villages in Lillesand municipality include Åkerøyhamn, Brekkestø, Gamle Hellesund, Helldal, Høvåg, Ribe, Skottevik, Trøe, Ulvøysund, and Vesterhus.
The University of Agder, formerly known as Agder College and Agder University College, is a public university with campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad, Norway. The institution was established as a university college (høgskole) in 1994 through the merger of the Agder University College and five other colleges, including a technical college and a nursing school, and was granted the status of a full university in 2007.
Setesdal is a valley and a traditional district in Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes.
Southern Norway is the geographical region (landsdel) along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function. It roughly corresponds to the old petty kingdom of Agder as well as the two former counties of Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. From New Year 2020, the two counties have been merged into one county, Agder. The total combined area of Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties is 16,493 square kilometres (6,368 sq mi). The name is relatively new, having first been used in Norway around 1900.
Gautefall is a mountain hamlet in Drangedal municipality in Telemark County, Norway. It is situated in-between Bostrak in Drangedal and Treungen in Nissedal. It is home to a ski center, tourist resort and consists mostly of vacation homes and cabins. It is located in a mountainous area and is a major winter sports destination. It is a popular destination for skiing, hiking, fishing, hunting, swimming, and other recreational activities.
The Baneheia murders was a double rape and murder that occurred in Norway on 19 May 2000. The victims were two girls, 10-year-old Lena Sløgedal Paulsen and 8-year-old Stine Sofie Austegard Sørstrønen. They were found raped and killed in the Baneheia area in Kristiansand. The murders received massive media attention in Norway in the early 2000s.
Vollevannet is a freshwater lake in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The 0.15-square-kilometre (37-acre) lies in the district of Gimlekollen in the borough of Lund, and the surrounding residential area is also called Vollevannet. The lake lies along the European route E18 highway at the exit for the Vest-Agder Museum Kristiansand and Ålefjær. Historically, the lake was used as a reservoir for the city's drinking water. The lake is held back by two dams, and there is a small, sandy beach at the northeast end of the lake. The lake has perch in it.
Odderøya is an island and neighborhoods in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The 0.7-square-kilometre (170-acre) island lies immediately to the south of the city centre of Kristiansand and it is connected to the mainland by four bridges. The island creates a natural division between the eastern and western parts of the port of Kristiansand.
Agder Police District covers the county of Agder except Sirdal municipality in Norway, approximately 14,880 square kilometres (5,750 sq mi). The district is headquartered in Kristiansand and consists of five police stations, Kristiansand and in Flekkefjord, Mandal, Grimstad and Arendal, and thirteen sheriff's offices (lensmannskontor). Stays and immigration cases are processed at the headquarters in Kristiansand. In the police district are approximately 280,000 inhabitants. Agder Police District was established on 1 January 2002 by a merger of the former police districts of Vest-Agder, Kristiansand and Arendal.
Bystranda is a Blue Flag beach in the southeastern part of the downtown of the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is located just east of the mouth of the river Otra. The shallow sandy beach by the Kristiansand Boardwalk consists of fine filled sand.
Grim is a borough in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The borough has a population of about 16,000 people and is the second least populated borough in Kristiansand. Grim is located in the northwestern part of the municipality, north of Vågsbygd borough, northwest of Kvadraturen borough, and west of Lund borough. Grim also borders Songdalen and Vennesla municipalities to the west and north, respectively.
Kvadraturen is a borough in the city centre of the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It has a population of 6,750 (2015). The borough is made up of the centre together with the harbour to the south and the more rural district of "Eg" to the north. Kvadraturen is the administrative centre of the municipality of Kristiansand as well as the administrative centre of Vest-Agder county, but is far smaller in area than the other boroughs in the municipality, such as the borough of Grim to the north and west, and the borough of Lund to the east.
Eg is a neighbourhood in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the only neighborhood in the borough that is located outside of the downtown city centre of Kristiansand. The main hospital for all of Southern Norway, Sørlandet Hospital Kristiansand, is located on the north side of Eg. Eg is located between the river Otra and the Baneheia park.
Gillsvannet or Gjelsvannet is a freshwater lake in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The 1.05-square-kilometre (260-acre) lake is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northeast of downtown Kristiansand, along to County Road 452. The lake lies about 300 metres (980 ft) west of the Topdalsfjorden, at an elevation of about 1 metre above sea level. There is a practice range for kayaking on the lake as well as many areas used for swimming during the summer season. The Gimlekollen district lies on the southern shore of the lake and the village of Justvik lies just north of the lake.
Mandal is a town in Lindesnes municipality in Agder county, Norway. Mandal is the fourth largest town in Agder as well as the administrative centre of Lindesnes municipality. It is located at the mouth of the river Mandalselva at the southern end of the Mandalen valley. The 6.63-square-kilometre (1,640-acre) town has a population (2019) of 11,053 and a population density of 1,667 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,320/sq mi). In Norway, Mandal is considered a by which can be translated as either a "town" or "city" in English.
