Namdalseid is a former municipality in Trøndelagcounty, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it joined Namsos Municipality. It was part of the Namdalenregion. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Namdalseid. Other villages and farm areas in the municipality included Sjøåsen, Statland, Tøttdalen, and Sverkmoen. At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the municipality was the 144th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Namdalseid was the 348th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,585. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 7.7% over the previous decade.
General information
The parish of Namdalseid was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838, but it was merged into the neighboring municipality of Beitstad on 1 January 1846. On 1 January 1904, the Namdalseid district was separated from Beitstad to form a municipality of its own. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the parts of the neighboring municipality of Otterøy that were located south of the Namsenfjorden were transferred to Namdalseid municipality. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county. On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Fosnes, Namsos, and Namdalseid merged to form a new, larger Namsos Municipality. This occurred because on 16 June 2016, the three municipalities voted to merge as part of a large municipal reform across Norway.
Name
The Old Norse form of the name was just Eið. The name is identical with the wordeið which means the "path/road between two waters". The Vikings used to drag boats across Namdalseid using the rivers and waterways in the area, to get from one fjord to another without having to risk crossing the treacherous Folda fjord by travelling up the sheltered Trondheimsfjord and continuing north along the coast. The passage was much easier in olden times as the sea level was higher and the waterways more numerous, but as recently as 2004 a boatdrag was done to commemorate the old traditions. Nowadays, however, one has to transport the boats by road for a fairly long stretch. The first element Namdals- was added around 1550. It is the genitive case of the old region name Namdalen.
The municipality bordered the municipalities of Flatanger, Roan, and Osen to the west; Namsos to the north; Åfjord and Verran to the southwest; and Steinkjer to the southeast. Lakes in the region include Gilten and Finnvollvatnet. The riverSverka runs through the western part of the municipality. The Namsenfjorden formed most of the northern border.
The municipal council of Namdalseid is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
Economy
Being mainly an agricultural municipality, Namdalseid struggled with a decline in population, as fewer and fewer people find they can make a living growing crops and raising cattle. Other areas of interest for business were fishing, hunting, and nature. Having one of the best small-salmon rivers in Trøndelag, Namdalseid is a haven for fly fishing and attracts many fishermen every year. In addition to fishing many visit Namdalseid to experience the beautiful mountain scenery and to do some hunting. Namdalseid also had some industry. Hundseth Mølle is one of the largest mills in Norway, Namdal Plast AS is a factory manufacturing fiberglass products, and Pelsberederiet AS is a manufacturer of furs from moose, deer, and other wild animals.
