Grorud Valley

The Grorud Valley, known in Norwegian as Groruddalen, is a valley and populated area in northeastern Oslo, Norway, home to roughly 140,000 people, about a fifth of the city's population, across the boroughs of Bjerke, Alna, Grorud and Stovner. The valley's main population centers sit on its sides near the forests of Lillomarka and Ostmarka, while its floor holds fewer residences and substantial industry; large-scale urbanization in the 1960s and 1970s converted it from agricultural to suburban land. The name has been used since at least the mid-nineteenth century, though the Groruddalen form was popularized by a local newspaper in 1960, replacing the earlier name Akersdalen; the valley is served by the E6 motorway and by the Furusetbanen, Hovedbanen and Grorudbanen rail lines.