On 1 January 1959, another part of Bodin Municipality (population: 1,303) was transferred into the town of Bodø, expanding its size considerably.

The last element may have been misunderstood as øy which means "island" (and written with the Danish language form ø).

The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority is situated in Bodø, as is the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Northern Norway.

The Norwegian Armed Forces headquarters for North Norway is located at Reitan, east of the city.

Bodø is one of the northernmost cities in the world and the only inside the Arctic Circle with a temperate four-season climate.

Located on a peninsula in the Norwegian Sea, Bodø has potential for strong winds both from the west and east.

The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from 1 June to 14 July (44 days), and the period with continuous daylight lasts a bit longer.

With its location on the Arctic Circle the city features one of the largest latitudinal temperature anomalies on Earth.

Bodø MAS is a major Norwegian military air base, housing two-thirds of Norway's F-16 fighter force and two of RNoAFs SAR Sea Kings.

The base was central during the Cold War due to its strategic location and proximity to the Soviet Union.

Now Bodin Leir is a camp to house military personnel for the Norwegian Joint Headquarters and Bodø Main Air Station.

The most well-known sporting arena in Bodø is Aspmyra Stadion, which in addition to being the home of Bodø/Glimt has hosted one international match.

Also, the multi-purpose indoor Bodø Spektrum, contains full-size football and handball courts, as well as several swimming and bathing facilities.