| Varhaug | |
|---|---|
| — Village — | |
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Varhaug
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Rogaland |
| District | Jæren |
| Municipality | Hå |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.63 km2 (0.6 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 60 m (197 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 40 m (131 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Total | 2,766 |
| • Density | 1,697/km2 (4,395.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 4360, 4368 |
Varhaug is a village in the district of Jæren, Norway and is the administrative centre and the second largest village in Hå municipality. It was also the administrative centre for the former municipality Varhaug. It was founded in the late 19th century and expanded around the local train station in the 20th century. Varhaug lies approximately 2 km from the North Sea coastline. The village of Varhaug lies between the two neighbouring villages Nærbø and Vigrestad, and the people live in a "love-hate relationship" with these villages. There are no one that are more important to beat in a football match.
The official demonym for a person coming from the village is Varhaugsbu.[2] An unofficial but friendly nickname for people form Varhaug is Trausk (pl: Trausker). Trausk is a word from Jæren, meaning Frog or Toad. The nickname is decades old, and all local villages had one, though Varhaug's nickname is one of the few still somewhat in use. Other words describing a person from Varhaug can be Håbu or Jærbu.
With an elevation between 40 and 60 meters, Varhaug is the highest elevated village in the municipality.
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Before Varhaug Station was opened in 1878 as a part of Jærbanen, there was basically only farms in the area. When the train station got built, a lot of services got located near the station, and people started settling down around the station.
The name of the village is derived from a farm with the same name, located closer to the sea. It is uncertain why this name was chosen for the train station, but the farms close to the sea has traditionally been wealthy and important on Jæren. Varhaug is a word with two elements, the latter haug is from the Old Norse word Haugr and refers in this case to a tumulus. The first "Var" is believed to be Old Norse meaning "stone made".
Varhaug became the approved name for the village in 1958 by the Norwegian Mapping and Cadastre Authority, though it had been in use long before this.
Varhaug municipality was originally a part of Hå formannskapsdistrikt from 1837. Hå got split into the municipalities of Varhaug and Nærbø in 1894. After the split, Varhaug municipality consisted of the villages Varhaug and Vigrestad as well as the surrounding area and had a population of 1,801. On January 1, 1964 the municipalities Varhaug, Nærbø and Ogna merged to form the municipality Hå. The village Varhaug became the administrative centre for the new and bigger municipality. Before the merge Varhaug municipality had a population of 3,454.[3]
The population of Varhaug is steadily growing. Statics Norway does not publish population development facts for individual villages. But Hå municipality is always high ranked on the birth per capita rankings. Due to the similarity between the villages in Hå, this is assumed to be true for Varhaug. In 2008 about 2/3 of the population increase in Hå municipality was from new settlers.[4] Due to the heavy population increase in Nærbø, it's believed that this number is a bit lower in Varhaug. Still there has been a significant number of asylum seekers, foreign workers and Norwegians from other municipalities settling down in the village.
| Year | Population | Annual change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,766 | 2.77% |
| 2009 | 2,619 | 3.93% |
| 2008 | 2,520 | 1.04% |
| 2007 | 2,494 | 0.20% |
| 2006 | 2,489 | 0.20% |
| 2005 | 2,484 | 4.55% |
| 2004 | 2,376 | 2.19% |
| 2003 | 2,325 | 1.84% |
| 2002 | 2,283 | 3.29% |
| 2000 | 2,140 | - |
| References[5] | ||
The village is located middle of Jæren, which is one of the mildest areas in Norway. This and the flat landscape makes it very suitable for agriculture, compared to other parts of Norway. The flat landscape however makes it pretty windy sometimes. There are normally only snow a few weeks every year. Precipitation is 1270 mm/year and the average temperature is 7.2 °C.[6] Temperatures have tended to be higher in more recent years.
Traditionally agriculture has been the backbone of the villages economy. But as the village has grown, it gradually becomes less important. Agriculture is still important for all the farms around the village, and the farmers are still being important customers for the shops in the village. The Jæren region has traditionally been and still is well known for the good and hard working craftsmen.
The biggest employer in Hå municipality is the municipality itself. Most of these workplaces are spread around in the municipality, but the administration is located in the village, meaning it is one of the most important workplaces in Varhaug. Another big employer in Varhaug is Fjordkjøkken AS, a company specializing in producing prefabricated dinner meals for the Norwegian brand Fjordland.
Many people from the village has jobs closer to Stavanger. For example, Stavanger, Sandnes, Bryne. But Hå municipality is trying to create more jobs locally, such as the food industry park in Kviamarka.
Varhaug train station has played an important role for the village. Jærbanen, the railway going through the village, still plays an important role. Specially for young people going to high school, as there are none in Varhaug. Mopeds and tractors are not suited for long transportations, and you need to be 18 years old to get a driver's license in Norway. There is also a good number of workers using the train.
Bus transportation is important for the school children living on the farms around Varhaug. With the exception of using bus to school, there are no scheduled bus routes to/in Varhaug, due to the railway.
Car transport has become important for people living in Varhaug. Most workers use car as the mean to transport themselves to work. Norwegian national road Rv44 is an important road for people living in Varhaug. This is the road which binds the coastline of Jæren, from Stavanger to Egersund. Another important highway is Norwegian national road Rv504, which connects Varhaug to Rv 44 in one end and E39 in the other.
People from Varhaug who wish to travel with plane are using Stavanger Airport, Sola.
Varhaug has one elementary school, Varhaug skule, and one lower secondary school, Varhaug ungdomsskule. There are no upper secondary school in Varhaug. Varhaug skule was opened in 1958 and combined the school houses of Auestad, Lerbrekk, Odland, Ualand and Ånestad.[7] Varhaug ungdomsskule was constructed in the mid 80s. Before this the youth had travelled to Vigrestad to go to lower secondary school.
Most competitive sports are arranged through Varhaug Idrettslag.