| Stange | |
| Idnumber: | 3413 |
| County: | Innlandet |
| District: | Hedmarken |
| Capital: | Stangebyen |
| Established: | 1 January 1838 |
| Preceded: | none |
| Demonym: | Stangesokning |
| Language: | Bokmål |
| Webpage: | www.stange.kommune.no |
| Mayor: | Bjarne Christiansen |
| Mayor Party: | Ap |
| Mayor As Of: | 2022 |
| Area Rank: | 157 |
| Area Total Km2: | 724.28 |
| Area Land Km2: | 640.98 |
| Area Water Km2: | 83.30 |
| Area Water Percent: | 11.5 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Rank: | 59 |
| Population Total: | 21356 |
| Population Density Km2: | 33.3 |
| Population Increase: | 10 |
| Coordinates: | 60.7158°N 11.1903°W |
| Utm Zone: | 32V |
| Utm Northing: | 6726099 |
| Utm Easting: | 0629390 |
| Geo Cat: | adm2nd |
is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Stangebyen. Other villages include Bekkelaget, Espa, Bottenfjellet, Ilseng, Ottestad, Sandvika, Sinnerud, Starhellinga, Tangen, and Romedal.
The 724km2 municipality is the 157th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Stange is the 59th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 21,356. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 10% over the previous 10-year period.[1] [2]
The parish of Stange was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of Romedal (population: 6,441) and Stange (population: 9,734) were merged to form a new, larger municipality of Stange with a population of 16,175 residents. On 13 July 1956, a small part of the municipality of Vang (population: 24) was transferred to Stange municipality.[3]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Stange farm (non|Stangir) since the first Stange Church was built there. The name is the plural form of which means "bar", "pole", or "rod". (The farm is lying on a long hill, and this is probably the background for the name.)[4]
The coat of arms was granted on 20 June 1986. The official blazon is "Vert, a plough argent" (no|I grønt en sølv ard). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a medieval plough called an ard. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design symbolizes this historic importance of agriculture in the area; originally the growing of grains and then later growing potatoes. The arms were designed by Arne Løvstad. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[5] [6] [7] [8]
The Church of Norway has five parishes (Norwegian: sokn) within the municipality of Stange. It is part of the Hamar domprosti (arch-deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.
| Ottestad | Ottestad Church | Ottestad | 1731 | |
| Romedal | Romedal Church | Romedal | 1887 | |
| Stange | Stange Church | Stangebyen | c. 1250 | |
| Tangen | Strandlykkja Church | Strandlykkja | 1915 | |
| Tangen Church | Tangen | 1861 | ||
| Vallset | Vallset Church | Vallset | 1850 |
The newspaper Stangeavisa has been published in Stange since 2004.[9]
Archeological finds indicate agricultural settlements in the area well before the Viking Age. Since the shortest route from the south to Hamar went through the area, there have also been trade and hospitality there since time immemorial. Stange has its own historical association that publishes articles, short research topics, as well as authoritative works on the area's history.
| Ancestry | Number | |
|---|---|---|
 Poland | 243 | |
 Eritrea | 182 | |
 Germany | 134 | |
 Sweden | 99 | |
 Afghanistan | 97 | |
 Somalia | 92 | |
 Lithuania | 91 | |
| 79 | ||
| 68 | ||
 Thailand | 66 |
Stange Church is located in Stangebyen. The church is mentioned in 1225 in Håkon Håkonsen's saga and the current church building was constructed around the year 1250.
The Atlungstad Distillery was established in Stange in 1855.
The municipality is situated on the east side of the lake Mjøsa. It borders the municipalities of Hamar on the north; Løten, Våler, and Åsnes to the east; Nord-Odal to the south; and Eidsvoll to the west.
The municipality can be roughly divided into two areas: the northern area, with rich and fertile agricultural land; and a southern area with craggy, forested area (the Stange Commons). As a result, the northern section is dominated by large, prosperous farms; the southern part by small, marginal farms. The rivers Lageråa and Svartelva both run through the municipality.
Stange Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[11] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Østre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council Norwegian: (Kommunestyre) of Stange is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayors (no|ordfører) of Stange:[12]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway. Stange has sister city agreements with the following places:[13]
. Norske gaardnavne: Hedmarkens amt . 1900 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 3 . Kristiania, Norge . 154 and 158 . no . Oluf Rygh.