Welcome to

ÅSELE

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ÅSELE - rural, remote and accessible

ÅSELE in Lapland

Åsele is located in the southernmost part of Swedish Lapland in a rural area far from large cities, however accessibility is still good. Closest airport, South Lapland Airport, is only 45 minutes away with airport shuttle from Åsele. In addition, three other airports are located within a two hour drive. Those who prefer the bus can go directly to and from Stockholm twice a week. There are also daily buses to some of our closer cities and towns in the region.Travelling by car, Åsele is located in the junction between the north/south route 90 and the east/west route 92. The distance to Stockholm is about 630 kilometer.

Being in the middle of the country there is less than a two hour drive to both the alpine region in the west to larger cities and the Baltic Sea in the east. The nature consists of large forests, expansive mountains and many small lakes and streams. The river Ånger-manälven flows through our municipali-ty and offers fishing, swimming, boating and recreation. It freezes in the winter and is popular for ice fishing, hiking and snowmobile riding.

The great inland ice from 10 000 years ago left us with canyons, ridges, caves and rock formations that characterizes our nature. Here one might experience some of our rich wildlife such as moose, reindeer, fox, eagles, bears, lynx, deer and black grouse. The forests around Åsele are rich in both mushrooms and berries. The blueberries are considered to be among the healthiest in the world. In Lapland we experien-ce four very distinct seasons with cold

and snowy winters, exuberant springs, intensive bright summers and colorful autumns.We have a rich cultural history from both the Sami people and the frontier settle-ments that began in the 1600’s.

The well-trained eye can spot evidence of this throughout our forests and water-fronts or enjoy guided tours at our local museums instead.

ÅSELE in Lapland

ÅSELE Our point of view

“I like that everything is so clean and the air so fresh.”

Manon, moved to Åsele from the Netherlands in 2013

“I like the serenity of the nature here.”

Chris, moved to Åsele from Austria in 2012

“I like living here where almost everything is within walking distance.”

Jeanette, grew up in Åsele

“I like that people are so friendly and have time to talk.”

Christien, moved to Åsele from the Netherlands in 2001

Åsele is rich in entrepreneurs with over 250 registered businesses and companies; most of them are very small. Many of them are in the cargo transpor-tation sector connected to the many companies in forestry. Naturally numerus mechanic repair shops are established in Åsele. Currently large businesses in the metal and process indu-stry are investing in modern technology for future development and innovation.

Åsele is part of Destination South Lapland (DSL), a touristic cooperation between four municipalities in the region. DSL has a great potential for further touristic develop-ment and growth in both national and international markets. DSL’s touristic products are mainly based on nature and wildlife. Because of well-developed broadband, Åsele is a very good place for business develop-ment within the ICT sector and e-commerce.

A trend that has grown rapid-ly in the past few years is the interest in locally and often organically produced foods and products, therefore businesses in this sector will have a great chance for development. Åsele has a need for people who wants to work in healthcare, es-pecially in geriatric care, perso-nal assistants and nurses. Re-sidential care homes for young refugees are increasing and in need of suitable personnel. Åsele is experiencing a growing demand in areas such as carpen-ters, plumbers, electricians et cetera.

MAKING a living

ÅSELE is connected

Our county, Västerbotten, is one of the best regions in Europe when it comes to digital accessibility. About 80 % of our hou-seholds already have, or have the possibility to connect to, high speed Internet through fiber (100 Mb/s). The fiber connection also gives access to cable TV in most places. Additional households will be connected within the next couple of years. The mobile GSM net covers most of the municipality and both 3G and 4G are advancing in both Åsele and its surroundings.

Foto: Carl-Johan Rådström www.cjr.se

Sweden’s social welfare sys-tem is one of the best in the world and Åsele is no excep-tion to this. Both the public daycare for children and the elementary school are ranked at the top in the country. We offer school from day care and pre-school up to 9th grade. Daily school busses to upper secondary schools in neighboring towns makes it possible for youths to live at home throughout their education. Public school is tuition free at all levels, from elementary school to university. When moving to Sweden from another country it is important to learn the lang-uage to be part of the society. Therefore all adults are entitle to free language education called “Swedish for Immigrants” (SFI) and the children will be given extra Swedish lessons during their first time in school.

ÅSELE - a caring place

Åsele have nice and homey facilities for geriatric care and care for the disabled. The county council offers both a district health care center with doctors and nurses as well as a den-tist’s office and a pharmacy. Sweden’s health care system is more beneficial than most countries with a maximum fee of about 180 € and about 200 € for medicine each year.

ROOM to roam

Åsele is one of the smallest municipalities in Sweden when it comes to population with about 2900 inhabitants. It is a multi-cultural society with almost 40 different nationalities. Most of the people live in the central of Åsele however the town is surrounded by many picturesque small villages and hamlets. Furthermore, the municipality has a large geography which gives Åsele a population density of only 0.7 inhabitants per square kilometer, as compared to 21 inh./km2 in the whole of Sweden, 248 inh./km2 in Great Britain or almost 400 inh./km2 in the Netherlands. If Åsele would have the same population density as the Netherlands, 1.26 million people would live here instead of 2 900.

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Åsele is small but with a lot of activities, events and happe-nings. There are several public faci-lities for activities such as a swimming hall, sport center, downhill and cross country skiing and a culture center with a 3D movie theatre.

In addition many clubs and associations offers a variety of activities such as horses, cars, hunting, fishing, ice-hockey, soccer, dance, dogs, snow mobiles, politics, art, bee keeping and many more. Most clubs and associations are run on a voluntary basis and need active members.

Joining one is an affordable and easy way to get to know Swedes, learn the language and become involved in the community and the village; a win-win situation.

Every July the largest event in all of northern Sweden takes place in Åsele: Åsele summer market, with over 100 000 visitors who can enjoy four days of shopping, music, performances and partying.

ÅSELE summer market

RECREATIONin Åsele

We are always openIt’s never crowdedEveryone is welcome

Destination South Lapland

www.southlapland.com

Inspiration, ideas, images, guides and social networks can be found here:

Three stunning roadsThe Fairy tale route The Wilderness route & The Art rout of seven rivers

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Welcome to Destination South Lapland!In an area the size of Belgium, with only 25 000 inhabitants you can find what you are looking for. In our destination we have both mountains and woodlands; 10 000 lakes, 150 mountain peaks over 1000 meters above sea level, four ski resorts, a rich Sami culture and over 4000 km of snowmobile trails. This is reflected in the area’s base activities for tourism; hunting and fishing, hiking & skiing and other recreational activities. South Lapland is considered to be one of Europe’s last wildernesses. Come and explore it!

Visitor centres

Åsele: +46 (0)941-140 78

Vilhelmina: +46 (0)940-398 86

South Lapland Airport

+46 (0)940-398 88

Dorotea: +46 (0)942-140 63

Strömsund: +46 (0)670-164 00

Gäddede: +46 (0)672-105 00

ANYTHINGIS POSSIBLE

MÖJLIGHETERNAS REGION

Åsele in cooperation with seven other municipalities participates in a regional project, Möjligheternas Region, to fuel entrepreneurship, grow businesses, and ensure innovation. Each municipality anchors a business coach who offers tailored support to growth and start-up business entrepreneurs. Contact Mona for further information.

MONA SCHERDINBusiness coach

Åsele kommunmona.scherdin@asele.se

+46 72 555 32 36

LIVING in ÅseleThe cost of living in Åsele is only a fraction of that of a city. House prices are low in both the center and the surrounding villages. You will easily find a nice house with a big yard for 30 000 - 40 000 €. Apartments are rarely far from nature and often placed right by parks and play grounds.

There is no local public transportation within the municipality apart from school buses, so having your own vehicle makes getting around much easier. Because of the cold winters most houses have effective and environmentally friendly systems for heating such as communal long-distance heating, geothermal heating or wood burning furnace. ¨

In general, the cost of living in Åsele is low.The overhead costs of owning a car and a house is in general lower than many European countries as well as costs for health care, insurance and leisure activities.

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Åsele KommunVasagatan 5919 85 ÅseleSweden

Phone: +46 (0)941 140 00E-mail: kommun@asele.se

Immigration Service:Phone: +46(0)72 213 57 20E-mail: chr_fox@hotmail.com

www.asele.se/movetoasele

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www.southlapland.comwww.aseleturism.sewww.facebook.com/aseleturismwww.facebook.com/welkom.in.asele

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