Grorud Valley

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alnabru, an industrial area of the Grorud Valley

The Grorud Valley (in Norwegian: "Groruddalen") is a broad valley in eastern Oslo. Four of Oslo's boroughs, Bjerke in the west, Alna in the south, Grorud in the north, and Stovner in the east, lie within the valley.

The population of the valley is around 125 000, while there are about 60 000 people employed there. The main population centres are on the valleysides, the valley basin has fewer houses but a fair amount of industry. Thanks to large scale urbanization throughout the valley in the 1960s and 1970s, the population increased by almost 70% between 1960 and 1990. Generally the neighborhoods are well maintained and there are recreational facilities and open spaces in the valley. On the downside, the valley has some of the lowest real estate prices, the highest unemployment rates, and the lowest levels of education in Oslo.

Groruddalen is served by several motorways and rail lines running along the valley. In the south of the valley is the European route E6 highway and the subway line Furusetbanen. The central valley is served by Norwegian route 163 (Østre Aker vei) as well as the national rail line Hovedbanen. The north side is served by Norwegian route 4 (Trondheimsveien) and the subway line Grorudbanen. There are also roads and bus lines which run across the valley, but the cross-valley communications are often considered inadequate.