Medelpad Province, Sweden Genealogy

History
Medelpad is a historical province in the north of Sweden. The borders surrounding Medelpad are Hälsingland, Härjedalen, Jämtland, Ångermanland and the Gulf of Bothnia. The province is a part of Norrland, which is considered to be Northern Sweden. Oddly the province is geographically located in the middle of Sweden. It is a misconception that the name is called "Medelpad" ("middle land" or "middle ground"). The name actually refers to the fact that most of the province lies between two rivers Ljungan and Indalsälven that are in Medelpad. The coast line on the Gulf of Bothnia, is called the "High Coast". A UNESCO World Heritage Site has been declared there.

The land rises at the rate of about one centimeter per year. This is called a post-glacial rebound process. The last ice age produced this effect in the Medelpad area. This process ended in the 7th millennium BC.

The only town with the historical city status in Sweden was Sundsvall, which was granted the privilege in 1624. Sundsvall is still the largest city of the Medelpad province, with about 50,000 inhabitants.

The traditional provinces of Sweden serve no administrative or political purposes, but are historical and cultural entities. In the case of Medelpad the province roughly comprises the southern part of the administrative county, län, Västernorrland County.

The population of Medelpad province was roughly 125,812 in 2016.