The 356-square-kilometre (137 sq mi) municipality is the 249th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vegårshei is the 272nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,143. The municipality's population density is 6.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (17/sq mi) and its population has increased by 7.9% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
The parish of Vegaardsheien was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time.[7]
The population was at its largest in 1930, population 2161.[8]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old name for the area (Old Norse: Vigisheiðr) since the first Vegårshei Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the lake Vegår. The meaning of the lake name is uncertain. One theory is that it comes from the word vé which means "pagansanctuary". Another theory is that it comes from the verb vígja which means "to consecrate" or "to dedicate". The last element is heiðr which means "heath" or "moor". Historically, the name was spelled as Wegaardsheien or Vegaardsheien, and sometimes it was abbreviated as simply Heien.[4][9] On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Vegaarshei.[10] On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Vegaarshei with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Vegårshei, using the letter å instead.[11][12]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 30 April 1987. The official blazon is "Gules, a fox sejantargent" (Norwegian: I rødt en sittende sølv rev). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a fox. The fox 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 fox was chosen as a representative of the local wildlife and also for the fox farming in the municipality. The arms were designed by Daniel Rike. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[13][14][15]
Vegårshei is bordered on the north by the municipalities of Nissedal (in Telemark county) and Gjerstad, on the east by Risør, on the south by Tvedestrand, and on the west by Åmli. The lake Vegår dominates the northern part of the hilly and forested municipality.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vegårshei is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
As of 2019, public administration and the service sector, are most important in regard to employment; the retail industry and entities that have hotel services and those that serve food and beverages, constitute 11% of employment; agriculture and forestry accounts for 9% of employment; manufacturing accounts for 7% of employment—21% including those employed in construction and those employed in the energy sector and [water supply]vannforsyning/ [garbage collection or] renovasjon.[8] Of the inhabitants that are employed, 55% have employment outside the municipal borders.[8]
It is well-suited for hunting and fishing for residents and tourists alike.
