”Eldrebølgen treffer ikke Oslo.”  Oslo seems to be becoming more and more popular among younger people in Norway.  The proportion of older people to younger used to be much greater than it is today.  More young people are choosing to remain in Oslo after graduating from university, for example. 

Two women, Anne Cecilie Isaksen and Pauline Isene, both eiendomsmeglere (real estate agents) were stopped by an Aftenposten representative outside of Kaffebrenneriet (a coffee bar chain) and asked about their opinions of living in Oslo.  Both of the women grew up in a different part of the country, but studied in Oslo.  Instead of moving back to their hometowns during etableringsfasen (the establishment phase, as Aftenposten describes it), they chose to stay in Oslo.  Isaksen states that ”Å bo i Oslo er en livsstil” (To live in Oslo is a lifestyle).  Both Isaksen and Isene agree that they get rastløse (restless) when they return home på besøk (to visit).

What is it about the byliv (city life) that is attractive to young Norwegians?  According to Isaksen and Isene, easy access to cafes, restaurants, shopping, and exercise are just a few of the reasons why Oslo is so great.  An Olso politician, Stian Berger Røsland, explains that ”flere ønsker å ta del i det urbane fellesskapet, det litt kaotiske bylivet ser ut til å være mer attraktivt for flere” (more wish to take part in the urban community, the kind of chaotic city life seems to be more attractive for a greater number of people).

The fact that more young people are staying in Oslo after studying, rather than returning to their hometowns, as well as the influx of young immigrants to the city, menas that the average age of Oslo citizens has gone down over the past quarty of a century.  Statistisk sentralbyrå (Statistics Norway) reports that 65.9% of Oslo’s befolkning (population) is under 44 years old.  That’s quite a statistic!

If you want to see hip, go to Oslo!