Bodø (pronounced [ˈbûːdøː] ; Lule Sami: Bådåddjo, Swedish: Bodö) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bodø (which is also the capital of Nordland county). Some of the notable villages in Bodø include Misvær, Skjerstad, Saltstraumen, Løding, Løpsmarka, Kjerringøy, Sørvær, and Fenes.
The municipality of Bodø is located just north of the Arctic Circle and the town of Bodø is the largest urban area and town in Nordland county, and the second largest town in North Norway. The 1,395-square-kilometre (539 sq mi) municipality is the 66th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Bodø is the 19th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 53,259. The municipality's population density is 40.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (105/sq mi) and its population has increased by 8.2% over the previous 10-year period.Bodø was named one of the European Capitals of Culture for 2024. It is also home to football club Bodø/Glimt, the northernmost club to win a European national league competition (namely Eliteserien, the championship of Norway).
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Bodø does not have a great abundance of eateries, but there is a decent selection of cheap restaurants, as well as a couple of good gourmet restaurants.
There are two Vinmonopolet shops in Bodø, one a short walk from the Glasshuset shopping mall, the other one inside City Nord, another shopping centre a somewhat far from the city centre.
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Bodø is a long, slender city around 2–3 km in width and over 10 km long in a roughly east-west line. This makes communication by bus well established for a city this size, and during weekdays busses go every fifteen minutes to-and-from town westwards. The Sentrumsrunden bus brings you anywhere you want within the city centre, and there are also buses going northwards to the suburbs. The bus system is zonal, meaning that you pay more the further you are going.
There is also a service of regional buses to other cities, but they only depart a couple of times a day, or even more rarely if the distances are long. A bus to Sweden goes on weekends, making it possible to take a weekend trip, Friday to Sunday, to anywhere between Bodø and Skellefteå.
Many international car rental businesses are established in Bodø. The city has a good road network and many scenic roads. A car is desirable if you are planning to stay in town for a while, or see the areas outside the suburban bus network.
Taxis are also available, but with typical Norwegian prices, you should be cautious about using them on longer trips. A 10 km trip costs about 200-250 kr in a normal size car, and you pay for the trip, whatever the number of passengers. A full car, four people, will often be cheaper than bus fare, to a certain point.
You can also bike virtually everywhere in Bodø and suburbs, and there is many scenic routes to see.
In the Viking Age, the province was known as Hålogaland, and famous for shipmaking. In 1663, Bodø was mentioned as a village with postal service. In the 19th century, fish canning became an important industry for Bodø, and made the city grow. As Nazi Germany invaded Norway in 1940, they bombed Bodø on May 27, destroying most buildings. The city was rebuilt during and after the war, and therefore looks remarkably modern.
In 1960, the American spy plane U-2 heading for Bodø was shot down by the Soviet Union, and Soviet leader Nikita Chrushchev threatened to bomb Bodø.
Bodø has a university, and a young and growing population. Traditionally the city has grown from Bodø Main Air Station funded in large part by NATO. The station has housed Thunderjets, Starfighters and now all of Norway's F-16s. The military part of the airport is set to be reduced, with the airfield being moved south-east for a major freeing up of real estate for civilian development. All fighter jet activity will move to Ørland Main Air Station by 2022.
