Umea

Umea is a city in north east Sweden. It is the seat of Umea Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. The city is located on the Ume River. Umeå is the largest city in Norrland and the thirteenth biggest in Sweden, with 84,761 inhabitants in 2016. The municipality had 123,382 inhabitants as of 2017. When Umea University was established in 1965, growth sped up, and the amount of housing has doubled in the last 30 years. As of 2011, 700 to 800 new apartments are constructed each year. Umeå is a university town and centre of education, technical and medical research in Sweden, with two universities and over 39,000 students. Umeå was the European Capital of Culture during 2014, along with Riga in Latvia.

The first written mention of Umea is from the 14th century. The northern parts of Sweden, including the counties of Västerbotten and Norrbotten, were mostly settled by nomadic Sami people before this time but not necessarily forming any permanent settlement in the city's exact location. The name is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word Uma which means roaring. The name of the town would therefore mean "The Roaring River.