Otterøy

Otterøy is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in the what is now the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county. The former municipality included most of the island of Otterøya (the part south of Tømmervikfjellet mountain), the island of Hoddøya, the southwestern part of the island of Elvalandet, and some of the mainland southwest of Otterøya and Hoddøya. The area contains good farmland and also good salmon fishing. The main church for the area is Otterøy Church. The municipality of Otterøy was established on 1 January 1913 when it was split off from the municipality of Fosnes. Initially, Otterøy had a population of 1,631. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Otterøy was dissolved and split between two neighboring municipalities, dividing roughly along the Namsenfjorden. All of Otterøy that was located on the mainland south of the Namsenfjord (population: 571) was merged into the municipality of Namdalseid. All of Otterøy that was on the island of Otterøya and the island of Hoddøya (population: 1,013) became a part of the municipality of Namsos. The municipality is named after the island of Otterøya (Otrøy) since the island made up a large portion of the municipality. The first element is otr which means "otter". The last element is øy which means "island". Originally, the name was spelled Otterøen until the early 20th century when it changed to Otterøy. While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elected a mayor. The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Otterøy was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms.