Move to a smaller place. Live a bigger life.
L ister is the south-western corner of Norway, the mildest stretch of its southern coast (Sørlandet). Here, the open sea gives way to heathland and hills. Wooden-house streets by the fjord in Flekkefjord. Mountain plateaus and still lakes in Sirdal. Farmland on the Lista peninsula, and narrow fjords cutting deep into the landscape. This is the part of Norway where you’ll find the mildest climate. But it’s not all beautiful nature. Lister is also full of job opportunities, safe and family friendly communities and small and big adventures waiting to be explored.
From Flekkefjord’s wooden houses to Sirdal’s mountains, Lister holds six entirely different ways of life.
Farsund’s open Lista plain, Kvinesdal’s fjord valley, Lyngdal’s salmon river, and Hægebostad’s quiet inland landscape all lie in the Lister region. What do you prefer? Get to know all six municipalities.
The wooden-house town by the fjord. Five neighbourhoods from the town centre to the open sea.
Solid industrial jobs in a valley where people still say hello at the shop.
Big skies, Lista beaches, and Alcoa as the cornerstone employer.
Right in the heart of Lister, with a hospital, schools, and Sørlandsbadet all in the same neighbourhood.
For those who want to trade noise for Lyngevannet and quiet.
Ski facilities within breakfast reach and the energy industry as your employer.
Zoom from municipality to place to live and employer. The map shows how the region fits together and where different communities, businesses, and everyday amenities are in relation to each other.
A photo album of everyday moments from Lister. Click to turn the pages, or let it turn itself.
A bigger life is made of concrete things. A shorter commute, longer dinners. Closer to the sea, more swims before autumn arrives. Closer to your neighbour, a neighbourhood that actually exists.
Each page: a glimpse of everyday life, and a story from someone who lives it.
Where you live is a choice of address. How you live is a choice about what your days are made of.
Aluminium from Farsund has gone into everything from sports-car rims to satellite components since 1966. 600 employees keep Norway’s southernmost metal plant running around the clock.
From 2016 the wooden houses began to gain company from large murals. Today there are over eighty works from artists in twelve countries. The wooden-house town became a museum without walls.
In 1847 merchant Schei opened his first shop. Today those same walls house a café, a concert stage, and a village cinema. The building’s role as a community hub lives on.
From an office in the heart of Lyngdal, the company delivers satellite communications to ships, offshore installations, and research stations on every continent. 70 employees, global clients.
On the western side of Farsund, Atlantic winds hit the coast head-on. Since the early 2000s the surf community has grown from a handful of locals to a meeting point for all of Europe.
The railway from Sira to Flekkefjord was Norway’s narrowest. It closed in 1990, but the track is still there. Today people cycle and stroll along the route.
A doctorate from the University of Bergen and offers from two clinics in the city. He turned them down anyway. “I didn’t want work to swallow my whole life.”
Between 1885 and 1973, molybdenum was extracted from the mountain above Kvinesdal. Today the mining town is a museum, an outdoor recreation area, and host to one of Norway’s best ski terrains.
After five years in Zürich, Maria now designs the restoration of old wooden houses in Flekkefjord. Her home office looks out over the fjord she grew up beside.
At the southern tip of Lyngdal, between islets and headlands, lies Korshamn. The 17th-century fishing village never got a motorway or a shopping centre. So it still looks much as it always did.
Lister holds a wide variety of places to live. Wooden-house towns and coastal communities, inland villages and mountain hamlets. The character varies, but the qualities that define the region are shared by all.
The wooden-house town between fjord and mountain
The region’s meeting place by the sea
White-painted coastal town on the Lista peninsula
The island where nursery children fish for lobster
Mountain village on Sirdalsvatnet
The historic heart of the Lista peninsula
Salmon fjord and historic boathouses
Fishing village in the southernmost archipelago
The heart of Kvinesdal
Mountain hamlet with ski slopes and hiking trails
Inland village in the Lyngdal valley
The border-fjord village with a spirit of community
Station town with a Viking heritage
Fishing village at the tip of Lista
Bridge and quay: island life with the mainland close at hand
Industry, engineering, tech, finance, aquaculture, health, retail, tourism. Lister is not built on one sector but on many. It is that breadth that makes the region a genuine option, wherever you come from. And if you hold an EU/EEA passport, the right to live and work here is already yours: no visa, little paperwork, the same footing as anyone who grew up in the valley.
Industry Europe’s most modern aluminium producer, running entirely on hydropower.
Engineering Mechanical precision from Flekkefjord to the world market.
Maritime tech Satellite communications for vessels and installations worldwide.
Finance Regional financial institution with national reach.
Aquaculture The world’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon.
Health The region’s largest employer in health and research.
Retail 180 years as a commercial and cultural gathering place.
Tourism Landmark hotel offering modern hospitality.
— and 51 more partners
Scroll through everything currently listed in the Lister region.
Get to know the businesses in the Lister partnership and the local areas they belong to, grouped by sector and municipality.
Have a question, or want to hear more about how we can help? Send a message or book a call with the Lister relocation team.
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We have gathered everything you need, from your first questions to settling into everyday life in Lister. Start wherever you are.
