Dalarna County

Dalarna is one of the counties Swedes carry around as a picture: red cottages, Lake Siljan, ski tracks and midsummer poles. Behind the picture is a sparsely populated county with almost 290,000 residents in fifteen municipalities, one of the oldest populations in Sweden and a population that is shrinking while the country as a whole grows. What it is like to live here depends more on which part you choose than on the county itself.

The towns in the south, the villages round the lake and the mountains in the west

The centre of gravity is in the south, around Falun and Borlänge. Falun is the county seat, with a university college, a county hospital and an offer that goes a long way, and it is home to the most highly educated people in the county. A third of residents have at least three years of university education, against just under 14 per cent in Vansbro. Neighbouring Borlänge, fifteen to twenty minutes away, is an industrial town built on steel and paper, with cheaper housing and a town centre many feel lacks life. The shops have moved out to shopping centres. Also in southern Dalarna are the mill towns of Ludvika, Smedjebacken, Avesta and Hedemora, built around iron and the power industry. Ludvika is a full-service town in miniature, and Hedemora carries a reputation that is harsher than everyday life there.

Around Lake Siljan the picture changes. Mora, Leksand, Rättvik and Orsa are shaped by the lake, skiing and tourism, with Vasaloppet, midsummer, Dalhalla and the car meets in Rättvik as the yearly peaks. The towns are small but well supplied, and Mora has a county hospital, trains and an offer rarely found this far north. The downside is the crowds for a few weeks a year. Furthest west and north lie Malung-Sälen, with one of Sweden's largest winter sports areas, Vansbro on the Västerdalälven river, and Älvdalen, one of the largest municipalities in Sweden by area, with only just under 7,000 residents. There the distances are long and a car is a requirement.

Who is growing and who is shrinking

The county's population fell slightly in recent years, and the pattern follows the map. Leksand grew most, Ludvika, Falun and Malung-Sälen were in positive territory, while Älvdalen and Avesta lost most, just over two per cent each. Borlänge also went backwards, even though it is the county's second-largest town. The average age is lowest in Borlänge and highest in Rättvik, where it is close to 50, and in most municipalities around Siljan and in the mountains it is well above the national average.

Incomes are below the national average, but the range within the county is narrow. The median income runs from just over SEK 309,000 in Orsa to nearly SEK 360,000 in Falun. Unemployment, on the other hand, is lower than in Sweden as a whole. Gagnef, Mora and Leksand have some of the lowest levels in the country, while Avesta and Borlänge are above six per cent. In Orsa, Rättvik, Älvdalen and Vansbro it is common for young people to go straight into work, often in tourism, forestry and small businesses, and fewer go on to further study.

Jobs and commuting

The big employers are in the south, in Falun, Borlänge and Ludvika. Borlänge draws in the most commuters, with just over one in three of those working there living in another municipality. From Säter, Gagnef and Smedjebacken just over half of those in work commute out, towards Borlänge, Falun and Ludvika, and some of those who moved for the industrial jobs in Ludvika prefer to live cheaply in Smedjebacken. Orsa is ten to fifteen minutes from Mora and works as a commuter municipality as much as a place in its own right. Ludvika to Borlänge or Falun is just over 30 and 50 km respectively. There are trains in Mora, Avesta, Gagnef and several smaller stations, but outside the larger towns it is hardly possible to manage without a car. From Älvdalen's main town to Idre and Särna is a couple of hours by car.

What you should know

The county is safe. Reported crime per resident is well below the national level, and only one area, Tjärna Ängar in Borlänge, is on the police list of vulnerable areas. Differences between neighbourhoods can still be large, in both Falun and Borlänge. Avesta has two different realities within the same municipality, and the smaller places often have just one grocery shop and one school. At times it gets crowded in the busiest tourist towns.

Dalarna suits those who want nature, water and a calmer pace, and who have a car and can cope with long distances. Families who want a house, outdoor people and those who can work remotely do best. Anyone who wants big-city amenities or a broad academic job market will have to look elsewhere, and should know that the county's population is among the oldest in Sweden.