end of the Second World War until the early 1990s, Mo i Rana, with the town's steel mill as its cornerstone, was dependent upon heavy industry. Following the decline of heavy industry, new service industries have now grown in the town.
Municipal history
The municipality of Mo was established in 1839 when the old municipality of Rana was split into Nord-Rana and S�r-Rana. Nord-Rana was renamed Mo in 1844. On 1 January 1923, the municipality of Mo was split into the ladested (town) of Mo (population: 1,305) and the rural municipality of Nord-Rana. On 1 January 1964, the town of Mo i Rana was merged with the municipality of Nord-Rana and parts of S�r-Rana and Nesna municipalities, creating the new municipality of Rana. Prior to the merger, Mo i Rana had 9,616 residents
