Roy also reports, "In practical terms, there is no spring. The transition from winter to summer is probably just two weeks". I can note that April is ending, and we still have snow.
The outdoor opportunities alongside a 'big city feeling' drive many people to move and stay here. The mountains, fjords and ocean are quite close, especially if you have a car to get off the island. For many, this proximity makes it easy to achieve the balance of work and free time for which Norway is famous. In many places in Norway, you would need to do much more planning for trips, but you can go hiking after work here. All of the natural surroundings offer unlimited access with the right gear, as Norway has a law that allows people to openly camp and hike regardless of who owns the land; this is called 'allemannsretten'.
There are several challenges to living on an island. First, an island is a defined space and cannot be made bigger. People have built their homes off the island too, where there is more space, much like many American cities with their ‘suburbs’ extending out. Roy and others have told me that living here (both renting and buying) is expensive compared to other towns in northern Norway, as there is competition for space and houses.
One challenge many people underestimate when living this far north is the physical adjustment to vastly different summers and winters. In the winter, people endure the Polar Night Season when the sun does not rise. I hear, however, that it is all worth it for the summers of Midnight Sun. It is just beginning now for me, where the sun does not set from April 20 to August 22. The current challenge for me is the bright morning sun!
