– There is significantly more space. And now we have a garden, says Anne Aschehoug Loftu with a broad smile. With seven-month-old Iver in the pram bag and three-year-old Erik on his arm, the family locks themselves in the house they have bought at Sørli in Nittedal. The family moved from Sagene in Oslo last year. Many families from Oslo move to Akershus where they get more housing for the money. This family found their dream house in Nittedal. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / news Pointing out advantages is not difficult. – Marka is right outside the door. We can put our skis on in the garden and go straight to where we’re going, says Marcus Sturk. Their house was built in the 1920s and has plenty of room for accommodation if friends or family come to visit. On a sofa in Nittedal, a three-year-old spins on his dad’s lap. Little brother follows attentively. Right now big brother is the biggest in the world, but maybe this little brother will outgrow big brother one day too. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / Erlend Dalhaug Daae Out of Oslo’s shadow The place they have moved to is located northeast of the capital and is part of the fastest growing and most populous part of Akershus. Romerike alone has 323,000 inhabitants, and that is more than counties such as Møre and Romsdal and Agder. With Romerike as its engine, Akershus has caught up with Oslo. On 1 January, this was the situation: The population in Oslo was 709,037, while the figure for Akershus was 709,030. In other words: a difference of seven people. It was a proud Oslo mayor who in March last year greeted Oslo’s 700,000th resident. But since then, growth has been much higher in the neighboring municipalities. Now Akershus is being reborn as more populous than Oslo. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB Size matters Since 2020, Akershus has been part of Viken, which is by far the largest county with its 1.2 million inhabitants. But when Viken dissolves on 1 January 2024, Oslo cannot expect to return to the throne as Norway’s largest. The title disappears over the city limits of Akershus, which the politicians there are happy about. – It is clear that being the largest county means something for the kind of impact we get. That’s what Høyre’s Anette Solli says with satisfaction. Anette Solli is the last mayor of Akershus, the county that does not have its own administrative capital, but has been based in the Galleri Oslo building above the capital’s bus terminal. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news She is one of the favorites to take over as political boss in Akershus after the autumn elections. She believes that the status as the largest county can give greater weight in negotiations with Oslo about Routes, Oslo package 3 and business development. – Oslo is the country’s capital and that’s just the way it is, but we’re not going to stand there hat in hand, says Solli. Akershus will be resurrected in 2024 Akershus was merged with Buskerud and Østfold to Viken in 2020. But Akershus has continued to exist as an electoral district. At the same time, Lunner, Røyken, Hurum and Rømskog have come within Akershus’ borders as part of the municipal and regional reform. This is an important reason why Oslo is catching up in terms of population. In addition, Akershus has faster population growth than the capital. Jevnaker has also applied to Akershus when Viken is split up in 2024. This will mean that the county will gain an extra 7,000 inhabitants. These are not included in today’s figure of 709,030. Gives confidence The Labor Party’s Edvin Søvik also believes that the status as “largest” county will mean something. – I think it gives Akershus more weight in negotiations. He particularly mentions money for public transport and Oslo package 3. That is the name of the plan for the development of roads and public transport in the capital area with the help of the money from the toll ring. In this collaboration, Akershus is the little brother. Oslo gets 60 per cent of the tolls, while only 40 per cent goes to Akershus. Edvin Søvik believes Akershus will be able to claim its share of public transport funds when the county becomes the most populous in the country. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB Søvik believes that this old distribution will be difficult to change. But today, Akershus has not received its share even once. And Søvik hopes that they will now be able to get that. – It is important that Akershus gets our share of the cake, says Søvik, who is now county councilor for finance in Viken county municipality. Already passed? Akershus surrounds Oslo on several sides and the two are connected in many ways. Oslo has had more inhabitants than Akershus, but little brother probably crawled past big brother sometime in early January. Erik, 3.5 years old, is the kind older brother of Iver, who is seven months old. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / news Perhaps it tipped over when a family left a cramped apartment in an Oslo district and announced a move to Romerike somewhere. If so, not untypical. This has been the case all along, according to the Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR) at Oslo Met. They see that young people first move from the suburbs into the city. – So when you have established a family and the children are perhaps approaching school age, you move out again to get a bigger home for the same price. Research manager Berit Irene Nordahl says so. Kindergarten close to the house makes picking up a game for Anne and Marcus. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / news In the municipalities around Oslo there is easier access to building land and it is cheaper. The capital has challenges that mean they cannot keep up. There are few available plots. Then you have to change already built-up areas, which is expensive, complicated and time-consuming, according to the researcher. – You don’t have to go that far out of the center in Lillestrøm before the prices become significantly more affordable than they are in Oslo, she says. For the family with small children who moved to Nittedal eight months ago, the house purchase has made room for new activities. An outbuilding on the plot has been converted into a carpentry workshop. An opportunity they didn’t have on 70 square meters in the city. New house and new opportunities. There is also an outbuilding on the property that has been used as a carpentry workshop. Here Marcus Sturk carves tables on a hobby basis. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / news
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The population is growing faster. Akershus will be bigger than Oslo – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
