is a small town located in the municipality

Municipalities of Norway

Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...

 of Lenvik

Lenvik

Lenvik is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The municipality is partly situated on the mainland, partly on the island of Senja. The administrative center is the town of Finnsnes, where the Gisund Bridge connects Senja to the mainland by road. Other settlements include Aglapsvik, Gibostad,...

 on the mainland near the island of Senja

Senja

Senja is the second largest island in Norway . It is located along the Troms county coastline with Finnsnes as the closest town. Senja is connected to the mainland by the Gisund Bridge. The municipalities located on Senja are Lenvik , Berg, Torsken, and Tranøy...

, in Troms

Troms

or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...

 county, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. The population (2009) is 4,185. The municipality is well provided with kindergartens and a decentralized school system on both primary and secondary level. There are also three schools on upper secondary/high school level and a centre for decentralized studies on university level.

Local community

Lenvik and the surrounding region has gone through a positive development, having had the largest growth in trade and industry in the county of Troms if it is related to the size of the population. The municipality is making efforts to provide facilities for companies that plan to establish activity in the region. The millennium city of Finnsnes is also the regional centre in middle part of Troms, and a centre of trade and service for about 35,000 people. Every summer, the city prepares for the one-week summer festival, aiming to put Finnsnes on the map. Finnsnes has two hotels. Good communication makes Finnsnes an attractive place for conferences. Trade and service provides employment for many people, but Lenvik also has major companies for fish processing and fishing tackle, and a melting work. Fishing and agriculture is still very important, and fish farming is of increasing importance for the employment of people. Prospects of education are good in the municipality.

The town has several small boroughs surrounding it, sharing the same local government. These are Sandvika/Skogen, Finnfjordbotn, Nygård, Trollvika and Silsand

Silsand

Silsand is a village in the municipality of Lenvik in Troms county, Norway. It has a population of 1,313, making it the largest village on the island of Senja. Silsand is now considered a suburb of the neighboring town of Finnsnes, which is located across the Gisundet strait...

 across the bridge to the Island of Senja

Senja

Senja is the second largest island in Norway . It is located along the Troms county coastline with Finnsnes as the closest town. Senja is connected to the mainland by the Gisund Bridge. The municipalities located on Senja are Lenvik , Berg, Torsken, and Tranøy...

. Over the last 100 years the town has grown from a small farm community into the center for commerce in the small region. The population of the town is approximately 5,500 people and it has experienced extensive growth both commercially and industrially the last few decades.

Transportation

The town is the regional center for the central region of Troms, connected with the city of Tromsø

Tromsø

Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...

 to the north, the city of Harstad

Harstad

is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...

 to the southwest, and the city of Narvik

Narvik

is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...

 to the south. The town is serviced by Bardufoss Airport

Bardufoss Airport

Bardufoss Airport is situated at Bardufoss in the municipality of Målselv in Troms, North Norway. The airport is primarily military, but also serves a few civilian flights...

 (civilian and military), Finnfjord Havn (freight), and Finnsnes Terminal (shuttle busses, shuttle ships for Harstad and Tromsø, and the Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten or Hurtigruta is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's western and northern coast. Sometimes referred to in English as Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11...

).

Going into the new millennium, the centre of Finnsnes became a city. Finnsnes is an important centre for transportation both on land and sea. The coastal steamer has daily calls both northbound and southbound, and Tromsø and Harstad can be reached within a little more than an hour by speedboat. On the way, one can enjoy the most spectacular landscape. Finnsnes also hosts the main office of one of the biggest transportation companies in Norway, and the local bus company on Senja takes you to and from all parts of Senja. Besides it’s a short way to Bardufoss Airport providing connection to the rest of the country.

Gateway to Senja

The town has become known as the Gateway to Senja

Senja

Senja is the second largest island in Norway . It is located along the Troms county coastline with Finnsnes as the closest town. Senja is connected to the mainland by the Gisund Bridge. The municipalities located on Senja are Lenvik , Berg, Torsken, and Tranøy...

: the land of contrasts, which brands itself being the Fairytale Island (Eventyrøya). There are several attractions in Finnsnes and Senja

Senja

Senja is the second largest island in Norway . It is located along the Troms county coastline with Finnsnes as the closest town. Senja is connected to the mainland by the Gisund Bridge. The municipalities located on Senja are Lenvik , Berg, Torsken, and Tranøy...

 and for tourists Finnsnes is the reference point when seightseeing in the region. The island is also called the island of adventure, and is a Norway in miniature with mountains and fjords, small communities, nature, culture and people, hospitality and go-ahead spirit, and all kinds of weather.

Sports and culture

Lenvik has much to offer in the field of sports and culture. There are several indoor halls for sports and facilities for both alpine and cross-country skiing. There is also a variety of cultural activities. The Finnsnes House of Culture, which opened in 1995, is the cultural centre of the region. It contains a 400 seats hall for theatre and concerts, and provides a varied menu of local, national and international performers and stars. The public library of Lenvik is also situated in this building.

“Midt-Tromshallen” is an indoor football centre for the region, and at the same time a hall made for a variety of activities. There are also two major outdoor football stadiums at Finnsnes and Silsand

Silsand

Silsand is a village in the municipality of Lenvik in Troms county, Norway. It has a population of 1,313, making it the largest village on the island of Senja. Silsand is now considered a suburb of the neighboring town of Finnsnes, which is located across the Gisundet strait...

. There is a great variety of voluntary cultural activities all the year round, with both a winter and a summer festival mobilizing people in a joint effort to create activities and provide grand experiences.

The local museum at Bjorelvnes is located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Finnsnes. It is definitely worth a visit, especially in the summertime. Here one can camp in modern cabins and rent a traditional North-Norwegian boat to go fishing or just enjoy the freedom of the sea. If you prefer to learn about local history and culture, you can have an exciting visit inside the museum.

There are three soccer clubs in the town, Finnsnes IL playing in the third division, Pioneer} playing in the fifth division, and FK Senja

FK Senja

Fotballklubben Senja is a Norwegian association football club from Silsand, Troms.The men's team currently plays in the Norwegian Second Division.- Recent history :- Squad 2011/2012 :...

 playing in the second division. Over the years there has been an extensive rivalry between the clubs Finnsnes IL and FK Senja

FK Senja

Fotballklubben Senja is a Norwegian association football club from Silsand, Troms.The men's team currently plays in the Norwegian Second Division.- Recent history :- Squad 2011/2012 :...

, this being largely due to the geography of the town.