Selfoss (town)

Selfoss, Iceland Selfoss: View at Selfoss church County Árnessýsla Constituency South Area 2 km² Population/Density 6275 / 3137 / km² Postal codes IS-800 Geographic coordinates [http://www.arborg.is/ Municipal website]

Selfoss is a town in southern Iceland on the banks of Ölfusá river. It is a part of the municipality Árborg. The Ring Road (Icelandic: "Hringvegur") runs through the town on its way between Hveragerði and Hella. It is a centre of commerce and small industries of about 6300 inhabitants.

History

Selfoss was settled by Þórir Ásason sometime after 1000; however, the Icelandic sagas mention that Ingólfur Arnarson was here during the winter of 873-74 under the mountain Ingólfsfjall, which is west of the Ölfusá.

In the summer of 1891, due to the lobbying of Tryggvi Gunnarsson, a member of the Alþing, the first suspension bridge was built over the Ölfusá. This was a major undertaking for Icelandic infrastructure. The bridge made the town a logical centre for services for the surrounding agricultural region. The current bridge was built in 1945 after the original structure collapsed.

In 1900 there were only 40 inhabitants, but by 2006 the population had climbed to 6000.

In 1930 the dairy firm Mjólkurbú Flóamanna and general store Kaupfélag Árnesinga were established. These two companies were the main employers in the area for several decades. During WWII the British stationed troops at Selfoss to guard the strategic bridge.

See a map of [http://www.arborg.is/files/7811307Selfoss-vor2005-.pdf Selfoss]

Currently

Today, with more efficient transportation, the town enjoys the proximity to the Reykjavík area and is predicted to grow in coming years as businesses and residents will relocate to it because of lower property prices. This has also led to many relocating their homes from Reykjavik to much calmer Selfoss. It enjoys low rates of unemployment and is the home of one the largest colleges in the country FSU Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurlands.

2008 earthquake

According to the United States Geological Survey, an earthquake with a magnitude 6.3 occurred near Selfoss on the afternoon of Thursday 29th May 2008, causing considerable damage to some buildings and roads [cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7426369.stm | title= Strong earthquake rocks Iceland | date=2008-05-29 | accessdate=2008-05-29 | publisher=BBC ] cite web | url=http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/neic_sqba.html | title= Magnitude 6.3 - ICELAND REGION | date=2008-05-29 | accessdate=2008-06-17 | publisher=United States Geological Survey ] . The earthquake was felt across southern Iceland, including the capital Reykjavik and the airbase at Keflavik. At least 30 people were injured; however, there no reports of human deaths. [cite web | url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/29/europe/EU-GEN-Iceland-Earthquake.php | title= Earthquake strikes Iceland, causing some injuries | date=2008-05-29 | accessdate=2008-05-29 | publisher=International Herald Tribune ] . A number of sheep in the Selfoss area were killed.

Name

Although the name of the town indicates otherwise ("foss" means waterfall in Icelandic), there are no waterfalls in the town.

References

ee also

* List of cities in Iceland
* Laugardælir, Iceland - closest town to Selfoss.