In Vestby, we live close to everything we like: The sea, the forest, the town and Sweden

Outside Oslo city centre they found much better space

They needed more space. They wanted more bedrooms, dreamed of a garden, fireplace and car parking for their electric car.

And even though Katrine Isaksen (29) and Michell Langerhorst (30) were very happy with city life in Oslo, they noticed that they could no longer use all the city's amenities once they had children - life was turned upside down and all their own time was put on hold.

In the apartment at Sandaker in Oslo, there were suddenly toys and bibs everywhere. The balcony door was too narrow for the pram to roll out, and it became increasingly more burdensome to carry the baby and drag countless shopping bags up the narrow stairs.

“It was a bit chaotic,” Katrine laughs.

"After we had children, we quickly became quite desperate to find a place with more space that made everyday life a little easier. So after a few months, the hunt for a new home began!

Katrine is originally from Vestby, and although she had not really imagined returning to the town in Follo, the search for a new home soon focused on this location.

"The main reason for this was that we had friends who had already moved here, and even more who were considering doing so. But our friends were basically interested in the same thing as us: a child-friendly and cosy place, not too far away from the city."

Calm without restlessness

Boyfriend Michell was a bit more sceptical at first. He originally comes from the town of Lindome in western Sweden, not far from Göteborg. Even though he had lived in Oslo for many years, he had no particular attachment to Vestby.

After they moved in during May 2018 Michell soon discovered that Vestby was not so different from his childhood domicile.

"I quickly noticed that Vestby reminded me very much of Lindome. It was a bit the same atmosphere, and the same distance from the big city," he says, adding:

Great community

Even though they have not lived here for more than six months, they have already made use of much of what Vestby has to offer.

They have cycled to the beach to take an evening swim - to Hvitsten, Emmerstadbukta and Krokstrand, walked in Flisløypa (where there are also cross-country skiing tracks in winter), eaten countless ice creams and several dinners on the pier in Son, visited the open farm concept “The Funny Farm” in the neighbouring municipality of Hobøl, watched the A-team of Follo Handball Club play a major match in Vestbyhallen, attended the local festival, Prestivalen, and watched the soccer world championships on a large screen in Rådhusparken.

"We also seem to spend more time with friends now than when we lived in Oslo. Here, we can just take the baby monitor with us and stroll through the garden and down to a couple of friends to eat pizza on a Friday evening," says Katrine.

Even though they already had several friends close by when they moved in, they now have an even larger circle of acquaintances.

"People are very inclusive here, and there is a strong sense of community. Our closest neighbours invited us over for a barbecue just a few days after we moved in, and if we need help with something, people will volunteer without hesitation." It’s really great! I already feel I belong here," says Michell.

"The neighbourhood is largely made up of people in the establishment phase, and many of them have children of Wilmer’s age. So there’s always someone to chat and play with when you’re out on the road or going down to the playground."

"It feels really good that we’ve settled down somewhere where Wilmer can grow up with his upcoming classmates. And not least that Vestby has a varied range of kindergartens, fine schools, activities and several sports facilities," says Katrine, and lists the multi-purpose hall Vestby Arena, Grevlingen swimming pool, the slalom slope in Son, ice rinks and Risil Skatepark.

Don't really miss anything

If you hop on the train in Vestby, you’ll be in Oslo in less than half an hour. This makes it easy for Katrine and Michell to commute to work in the city, or go to a concert or visit family members and friends who live there.

"It’s great to be able to go to Oslo outside of work every now and then, but with that said, there’s really nothing we miss here. We have many different grocery stores - including Holdbart, of which we are great fans. They sell surplus goods at reduced rates to reduce waste," says Katrine and continues:

"If we need anything else, Vestby has it all. We have a shopping centre, the country’s largest outlet, and not least Plantagen - which we use very diligently as we are two keen plant lovers. And if there’s something we can't get hold of, Ski Storsenter and Mosseporten are just a short drive away."

Short distance to falu sausages and meatballs

“But now you’re almost forgetting the most important thing,” Michell interrupts.

"Vestby is also very close to Sweden!"

His face lights up, and it’s uncertain whether he's imagining his family and childhood friends, or falu sausages, meatballs and kebab pizza. His thoughts seem to wander to the latter, because suddenly he admits that Vestby is not doing so badly on the “fast food front”.

"Occasionally, it can be perfect to order pizza from Babylon, sushi from Niji, or stop by McDonald’s. After playing and running with Wilmer all day long, it’s nice to let yourself be a little lazy."

Most important of all is the silence

All in all, there is no shortage of shopping, dining or fun activities in and around Vestby.

But when we ask Katrine and Michell what they think is positive about living here, they are in no doubt:

"It’s the peace and quiet we get from being here."

"Being able to get up in the morning, take your coffee cup and go straight out into the garden - and it’s completely quiet."