About the city Mo i Rana

General

Mo i Rana is a city with over 21,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city in the Helgeland region and the third largest city in northern Norway. Mo i Rana is the city centre in Rana municipality, the fourth largest municipality in Norway by size. Most of our inhabitants have roots from outside of Mo i Rana, as the city quadrupled its population after the establishment of AS Norsk Jernverk in the years after WW2. With music- and theatre festivals, a cinema, water park, and mountains and sea right outside your door, the good life is situated in Mo i Rana.

Life under the arctic circle is calm, we enjoy nature and the many cultural happenings all year round, in a city with fewer crimes than the national average.

Cultural life

See the latest movies at Rana kino, experience our unique industrial history at Rana museum, enjoy beautiful pictures and art exhibitions in our galleries, test yourself in the world of science at Vitensenter Nordland, enjoy concert at Park 22 byscena or at Meyergården spektrum, experience theatre at Nordland teater or take a spin in the waterslide at Moheia bad. The industrial city has culture!

Photo: Kristoffer Møllevik - Visit Helgeland

Businesses

The businesses in Mo i Rana is varied and you’ll find plenty of opportunities regardless of education.

The business sector is especially influenced by the industrial activity inside Mo Industrial Park, which has 2500 employees in 110 companies. Within the Industrial park you can find different process industry companies such as Celsa, Elkem and Ferroglobe Mangan, but also companies that produce smolt, debit cards and ship anchors. In addition, there are several companies inside the park that provide goods and services to the other companies.

Outside the industrial park you can find Rana Gruber, the largest mining company in Norway, bank and accountant services, architect firms, media production companies and legal services.

Check out this labor market report about the businesses and job opportunities in Mo i Rana;

Labour market report

Foto: 24M Technologies

History

Mo i Rana is and have in the last 150 years been known for our industry. Our industrial history, is our DNA.

From reindeer husbandry, agriculture, trade and mining, it was the establishment of the ironworks that really accelerated the development of Mo i Rana.

Our region is blessed with massive amounts of renewable resources, and we have built the competence and an infrastructure for industry and business development. Our power of development is as much about the businesses as it is about the people, that are open to the world, and grabs technological possibilities and adapts to new times and trends.

Photo: Emilie Solbakken / Visit Helgeland

Health

The Norwegian health care system is one of the best in the world.

Norway’s health care system is divided into two care services; The specialist health service and the municipal health service. The specialist health service can generally be summed up as Hospitals, ambulances and laboratories. The municipal health service are services such as General Practitioners (GP’s), physiotherapy, home- and institutional care. Health care in Norway is relatively cheap since the maximum cost per year is 275 USD. Some groups are exempt from paying.

Mo i Rana has its own hospital, Helgelandssykehuset Mo i Rana, with an emergency department, surgery and maternity ward. For more specialized health care needs it might be required to travel to a different hospital. When moving to Norway you need to choose your doctor / General Practitioner. This can be done at;

Health Norway - Choosing a GP

Our future

Mo i Rana has a bright future ahead. With large industrial establishments, new academic education opportunities and a thriving business sector, the city is growing.

The establishment of FREYR signals a new era for the city. We expect a population growth of 5000 new inhabitants and billions in investments. In three years, a new large airport will be ready to take you to the world and the world to us.

The green shift is happening in Mo i Rana and the local businesses have a goal to be best at implementing green solutions. This can be seen though Rana Gruber’s plan to be fossil free within three years, Celsa switching to green power and the industrial park’s work on circular economy and reducing waste products.

Photo: FREYR Battery

Outdoor life

Due to unique access to nature, we have a culture for adventuring in it, all year round. The nearby mountains offers a variety of terrain, where you can hike in your desired pace, heading for peaks of all sizes with or without skis on your feet. Fjords and ocean encourages for baths and kayaking, additionally one can also fish at the open sea, or in rivers after talking to the landowner. In wintertime these are used for ice skating if the ice turns out to be at a satisfying depth. Complementary, forests and woods of various density, can be utilized to go on a hike in the wild or along a path. It is also important to mention that in Norway, we have something called “Allemannsretten”, which allows us to use the nature for our desires as long as we don’t leave too big of a footprint.

With a various climate, landscape, community and culture for nature utilization, there is plenty of opportunities for the ultimate life outdoor!

Allemannsretten

Photo: Simon Fossheim - Visit Helgeland

Sámi

Norway is a country founded on the land of two people: The Norwegian and the Sámi population. The Sámi are often recognized by their traditional clothing, the gaeptie, and herding reindeer. The clothing is more often used in formal events and are not everyday clothing, and most Sámi have other jobs than reindeer herding.

Mo i Rana, or Maaeffie in southern sámi, is home to Åarjelhsaemien (Southern Sámi) Theatre, reindeer herding and sámi experiences. Sámi cuisine can be found in cafés, restaurants, cantinas and hotels. Reindeer meat is sold in grocery stores, and you can buy reindeer kebabs, or Souvas, at music festivals.

Foto: Broadstone / Visit Helgeland

Public transport

In Mo i Rana we have various types of public transportation; train, planes, busses and local taxi.

The train station is located in the city centre and offers traveling options both towards northern and southern parts of Norway, with daily trains going both directions, night- and daytime. The city airport is located 15 minutes by car, north-east outside the city at Røssvoll. From the airport you can travel with Widerøe every day of the week. A new and bigger airport is currently under construction, and is planned to extend todays flying options, connecting it to international airports allowing the city to more easily explore the world, and enables the world to explore Mo I Rana.

The city also offers buss options. This can be accessed from all of the city’s boroughs, and can be explored and navigated through the Reis-app. If you find your needs of transportation outside of these options, you may also make use of the local Taxi options.

Shopping

Mo i Rana has a growing shopping sector that is used both by locals and people in the region as a whole. The city has three malls with stores and cafes that sell everything from books to kitchen utilities. Despite the increasing number of malls, local and specialized shops continue to thrive. This is stores like Fiskebua, 1001 Natt and Rammeverkstedet that sell fresh fish, exotic food and handmade picture frames, respectively.

The people of Mo i Rana also benefit from the city’s close proximity to Sweden and the town Hemavan. Many ranværinger drive over to Sweden to buy food in bulk or alcohol for their parties, due to the low prices.

Photo: Kristoffer Møllevik - Visit Helgeland

Education

Education in Mo i Rana has many options, including everything from pre-school to university level. Here you can study many different occupations and get certifications for multiple competences. The city has 2 different universities, Nord University and UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, located at Campus Helgeland. They offer education within a range of subjects. The city also has a continuously growing research network with 3 different organizations working with many exciting and new projects every month. As the city grows, educational options continuously follow. Excitingly making up the opportunities of tomorrow!

Sports

Mo i Rana is sporty! The city has more than 165 different teams and organizations with more than 80 different sports and activities in total. This includes everything from ball sports, winter sports, motorsports, martial arts, watersports, and more. Sports can be done on an individual level, as a group or team activity, either indoor or outdoor in public sport facilities, or simply in the local nature. Complementary to this, we have something called BUA. Here you can rent sports and activity equipment, in all sizes, free of charge. Something which makes it possible for you to test out new hobbies without having to buy equipment.

Activities

Photo: Gjermund Holtet - Build up Helgeland / Visit Helgeland

Restaurants, cafes and bars

In Mo i Rana we have over 17 restaurants, nine cafes and nine bars. Here you can enjoy everything from an locally produced eight course meal fit for a king, to a quick hamburger after a night out. You can drink locally roasted coffee, or a locally brewed beer.

Restaurants, cafes and bars

Photo: Espen Mills / Visit Helgeland