The inhabitants of Tydal earn a living in farming, forestry, energy production, and tourism. During Easter, the number of people in Tydal increases by up to 5,000 people. Many people from Trondheim celebrate their holidays in the 1,400 cabins located throughout the municipality of Tydal.
The 1,329-square-kilometre (513 sq mi) municipality is the 75th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Tydal is the 346th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 753. The municipality's population density is 0.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (1.6/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 12.9% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
General information
The municipality of Tydal was established on 1 January 1901 when it was separated from the large municipality of Selbu. The initial population of Tydal was 881. The municipal borders have not changed since that time.[6] On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Sør-Trøndelag county to the newly created Trøndelag county.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Tydalen valley (Old Norse: Þýjardalr) since the first Tydal Church was built there. The first element is Þý which is the old name for the Tya River which runs through the valley. The meaning of the river name is unknown, but it could mean "bondmaid". The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".[7] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Thidalen or Tydalen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Tydal, removing the definite form ending -en.[8]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 7 February 1997. The official blazon is "Gules, three St. Anthony's crosses in bend Or" (Norwegian: I rødt tre gull Antonius-kors i skrå rekke). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three St. Anthony's crosses lined up diagonally. The cross design has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. This design was chosen to represent a power line and the letter T, representing the name of the municipality and the importance of hydroelectric power generation in Tydal. The arms were designed by Einar Skjervold. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11]
Tydal covers an area of 1,330 square kilometres (510 sq mi). The rivers Tya River and Nea River (together forming the Nea-Nidelvvassdraget watershed) flow through Tydal on their way towards Trondheimsfjorden. Tydal is situated about 260 metres (850 ft) above sea level, and the highest mountain is 1,762 metres (5,781 ft) tall.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Tydal is made up of 13 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.