from Värmland. Such areas have traditionally been financially poor. This led to a significant Swedish emigration to North America from the district in the latter half of the 19th century. Stockholm, Wisconsin was for instance founded in 1854 by immigrants from Karlskoga. Neighbourhoods The many residential communities of Karlskoga express a character distinct to the company town. Million programme residential buildings can be found in enclaves such as Baggängen, Ekeby and Sandviken. The Rosendal neighbourhood, historically significant for the architecture of its homes, planned community by the Bofors Works, was designated as an area of national interest for cultural heritage. Demographics Karlskoga's population grew steadily from the time when arms manufacturer Bofors had started to expand, until the 1970s. Thereafter, it underwent a sharp decline (down by almost 10,000 inhabitants over a 30-year period), with signs of recovery only in the very last few years as of 2021. Nevertheless, with 27,386 inhabitants, Karlskoga is the second most populous place in Örebro County following Örebro (126,009). The presence of foreign residents in Karlskoga accounts for 16.5 % of inhabitants. This compares with 19.1 % in the town Örebro. Ethnicity In the 1580s, a total of five Finns settled in Möckelsbodar (present-day Karlskoga). In 1649, 32 of a total of 186 agricultural holdings were occupied by Finns. In 2017, the three most commonly reported ethnic origins (by-birth) overall were Finns (935 or 3.1 per cent), Syrians (650 or 2.1 per cent) and Somalis (409 or 1.3 per cent). Religion Various religious denominations and congregations are based in Karlskoga, including the Saint George Catholic congregation, established in 1956, and the Bofors Baptist congregation, established in 1884. Language and dialects In 2012, Karlskoga Municipality received its status as a Finnish-speaking administrative municipality. Economy The city is an important center for the arms manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries; it is home to various multinational corporations, including subsidiaries and -divisions of Bharat Forge, BAE Systems, Saab AB (SAAB Bofors Dynamics), Cambrex Corporation, Recipharm, and Moelven Industrier. Sports Karlskoga is home to several stadiums, of which Nobelhallen is the largest (it hosted the 1979 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships). Professional sports Karlskoga is home to the ice hockey team BIK Karlskoga, currently playing as per the 2021–2022 season in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish ice hockey. There is also a football team called KB Karlskoga FF, and a women's soccer team, Rävåsen IK. Notable people Arts Monica