The Municipality of Fauske is situated approx. 63 kilometres east of Bodø. The municipality's scenery is primarily fjords and mountains, and it borders the Municipalities of Saltdal, Sørfold and Bodø, as well as Sweden.
The town of Fauske is a key traffic hub in the Salten region. Fauske is located along the E6, which continues north along Fauskeeidet and Hwy 80 (Fauske-Bodø).
The region has some agriculture, particularly in the Valnesfjord area and Fauskeeidet. Agricultural operations are centred on animal husbandry and dairy production. Fauske is one of Norway's primary horticultural municipalities. There are also large mining operations here, extracting marble and dolomite. De Ankerske Marmorbrudd are located to the west of Fauskeeidet, and marble extracted here is found in many famous buildings in Norway and abroad, including the UN building in New York. The municipality is home to several small industrial enterprises, including a lumber company, a mechanical workshop, a concrete structures factory, a tool factory, a rock polishing plant and an energy efficiency company.
The town of Fauske is the administrative centre for the entire region of Indre Salten. Construction and civil engineering activities have represented ample employment opportunities in the municipality, particularly in connection with large-scale hydroelectric power projects. A majority of the Sulitjelma waterway has been developed, and the power stations at Sjønstå, Fagerli, Daja and Lomi have a combined annual output of 950 GWh. Salten Kraftsamband (power co-op) is headquartered at Fauske.
Tourist attractions include Jakobsbakken, a former mining community south of Sulitjelma, which has been converted into a large mountain retreat for youths. A mining community established in Sulitjelma in 1970. Fauske Rural Museum has buildings dating back to the 18th century. Sjønstå farm at Øvrevatnet, with buildings dating back to the 17th century, has a village structure unique to Northern Norway, and there are plans to convert the site to a listed heritage site. At Leivset, south of Fauske, there is a listed Saami sacrificial site, likely dating back to medieval times.
In this area, there are several limestone caves, including Brasetgrotta, which has several intact stalagmites, some as tall as 2 metres. Okshola is one of the longest caves in Norway, 11 kilometres long, and it is located between Fauske and Sulitjelma. From Sulitjelma there are several marked hiking trails to Sweden, and this is a popular starting point for hikes into the mountains. Other popular destinations include Valnesfjord, which also boasts a great physical rehabilitation centre. The marble quarries near Fauske are also a popular tourist attraction.
Fauske's contribution to the "Footprints in the North" project is the Sulitjelma Mine. Visitors can travel by train into the realm of the miner, and knowledgeable guides provide information about how life and work in the mine was like.
Fakta om Fauske kommune
Navnet Fauske er avledet av norrønt “fausk” som utledet kan bety morkent eller råttent tre.
Beliggenhet: Kommunen ligger i Indre Salten i Nordland, og grenser mot Sørfold i nord, Sverige i øst, Saltdal i sør og Bodø i vest.
Folketall 2021: 9540.
Utstrekning: 1197 km2. 8 innbyggere pr. km2.
Administrasjonssted: Fauske.
Kommunehistorikk: Fauske ble skilt ut fra Skjerstad kommune i 1905.