Time, Norway


Time is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bryne. Some villages in the municipality include Kvernaland, Lyefjell, Mossige, and Undheim. Most of Time is fairly flat and it is used for agriculture. The eastern portion of the municipality is more rugged moorland.
The municipality is the 309th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Time is the 66th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 19,781. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 13.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The parish of "Thime" was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. The municipal borders have been slightly changed twice since that time. On 1 January 1970, a small unpopulated area was moved from Time to Gjesdal municipality. Then again on 1 January 1989 another unpopulated area was transferred to Gjesdal. Both times it was to make more room for the growing village of Ålgård.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Time farm since the first Time Church was built there. The meaning of the first element is uncertain. It may come from the Anglo-Saxon word Þínan which means "to get wet" or the Old Norse word which means "thawed" or "melted". Both possible meanings likely refer to the wet and marshy areas in Time. The last element is which means "meadow" or "pasture". Historically, the municipality name was spelled Thime, but the "h" was dropped as the Norwegian language was reformed over time.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 23 December 1977. The blazon is "Gules, a lapwing rising argent". This means the arms have a red field and the charge is a northern lapwing. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This bird was chosen as a symbol for the municipality as it is a typical bird for the area. It is shown with wings upwards to symbolize optimism. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes within the municipality of Time. It is part of the Jæren prosti in the Diocese of Stavanger.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
BryneBryne ChurchBryne1979
TimeTime ChurchTime 1859
UndheimUndheim ChurchUndheim2001

Geography

Time is located in the district of Jæren which is mostly flat and agricultural. The river Figgjoelva marks the northern border of Time with the municipality of Sandnes. The large lake Frøylandsvatnet forms part of the border with the neighboring municipality of Klepp. The landlocked municipality also includes part of the "Høg-Jæren" area which is not flat like the rest of the district. Høg-Jæren is more hilly, rugged, and less densely populated.

Government

Time Municipality is responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Time is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayors of Time :
  • 1838-1840: Ingebret Svennsson Mossige
  • 1919-1924: Nils M. Kverneland
  • 1932-1940: Gunnar Aasland
  • 1945-1954: Gunnar Aasland
  • 1955-1959: Bjarne Undheim
  • 1999-2011: Arnfinn Vigrestad
  • 2011-2020: Reinert Kverneland
  • 2020-present: Andreas Vollsund

    Population

International relations

Twin towns/Sister cities

Time has sister city agreements with the following places: