Märsta

Märsta
Märsta by Night (Märstapunkten)
Coat of arms
Märsta Show map of Stockholm Märsta Show map of Sweden
Coordinates: 59°37′N 17°51′E / 59.617°N 17.850°E / 59.617; 17.850Coordinates: 59°37′N 17°51′E / 59.617°N 17.850°E / 59.617; 17.850
Country	Sweden
Province	Uppland
County
Municipality	Sigtuna Municipality
Area
• Total	7.64 km2 (2.95 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2010)
• Total	27,034
• Density	3,150/km2 (8,200/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Märsta (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈmæʂˑʈa]; roughly pronounced MASH-tah ) is a suburb of Metropolitan Stockholm, a locality and the seat of Sigtuna Municipality, , Sweden with 27,034 inhabitants in 2015. The town is situated close to Stockholm's main international airport, Arlanda. Even if its origins go back to around 500 AD, Märsta is a widespread modern residential area. Märsta has a mix of multi-storey dwellings and smaller houses. It is in a phase of expansion and new residential areas are built both in central parts of Märsta and in the surrounding areas like for instance Steningehöjden. Märsta can be reached by commuter trains from Stockholm running at quarterly intervals during daytime and by bus from Airport. The central parts of Märsta has a shopping area "Märsta Centrum" with various shops, pub and restaurants. Another smaller shopping area is "Valsta Centrum". East of the central parts of Märsta there is an industrial area and a bit further east close to the airport a shopping mall "Eurostop". Most parts of Märsta and the municipality of Sigtuna can be reached with local bus services originating at the railway station and also connecting with commuter trains.

The origin of the name Märsta goes back to around 500 AD. At that time most of the valleys in Märsta were still under water, which explains the name. Mär- is found in the Swedish word "mjärde" which is a fishing tool, and -sta means a place (area or somekind of habitat) like the Swedish word "stad" meaning city. Märsta means "place to fish" or "fishing-place".

Märsta is situated north of Steningevik, which is a bay of the lake Mälaren. The center of the town is located in a valley called Märstadal and the area Sätuna, which also holds the train station of the town.

The rest of the town's buildings spread upon and below the hills that form the valleys in Märsta. The stream that flows through the town out to Steningevik is called Märstaån. It is also located along the motorway E4 about 37 km north of central , 33 km south of Uppsala and about 4 km from Arlanda Airport.