Umea

People have lived in the Umeå river valley for at least three thousand years. The oldest rock carvings near Umeå, ten kilometers west of the city at Norrforsen, are from about 3,000 BCE. In some places, there are remains of settlements and cultivation from the Bronze Age to the 11th century. During that period, the climate was mild, allowing for the cultivation of barley and wheat, while moose and beaver were hunted further inland. The first written mention of Umeå dates from the 14th century. Before this time, the northern parts of Sweden, including the counties of Västerbotten County and Norrbotten County, were mostly settled by nomadic Sami people, though there is no evidence of a permanent settlement at the exact location of the city. The name Umeå is believed to derive from the Old Norse word Úma, meaning 'roaring'. The name of the town would therefore mean "The Roaring River". …

Umeå is situated on the inlet of the Gulf of Bothnia at the mouth of the Ume River, in the south of Västerbotten. Umeå is about 600 km (373 mi) north of Stockholm and about 400 km (249 mi) south of the Arctic Circle. It is the largest city north of the Stockholm-Uppsala region, and is sometimes referred to as the regional centre of northern Sweden. The nearby community of Holmsund serves as Umeå's port, with a ferry line connecting it to Vaasa (Swedish: Vasa) in Finland. This close connection to Finland influences Umeå's population, with many Sweden Finns residing in the city. Umeå has a subarctic climate (Dfc), bordering on a humid continental climate (Dfb) with short and fairly warm summers. Winters are lengthy and freezing but usually milder than in areas at the same latitude with a more continental climate. Average January temperature is about −7 °C (19 °F), July is 16 °C (61 °F). …

The Opera of northern Sweden, the Norrland Opera, is based in the city, as is the English-language non-profit Umeå Theatre Company and the Museum of Contemporary Art and Visual Culture. The annual Umeå Jazz Festival is one of the larger Scandinavian festivals for modern jazz. Well-known metal bands from Umeå include Cult of Luna, Gotham City, Bewitched, Meshuggah, Naglfar, Nocturnal Rites and Persuader. During the 1990s, the influence of Umeå hardcore punk bands such as Final Exit, Step Forward, Refused, Abhinanda, DS-13, Shield and Doughnuts and the local labels Desperate Fight Records and Busted Heads Records led to the growth of Umeå's hardcore scene. During the 90's the town were the European center of Straight Edge culture housing hardcore and straight edge shows on a weekly basis for many years. …