Other urban centres in Nord-Aurdal include the villages of Aurdal, Leira, and Skrautvål.

[5][6] The parish of Nordre Aurdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law).

Then on 1 January 1984, the unpopulated northern side of the Makalaus mountain was transferred from Sør-Aurdal to Nord-Aurdal.

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Aurdalen valley (Old Norse: Aurardalr) since it was a central geographic feature of the area.

On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Nord-Aurdal.

The official blazon is "Or, three cinquefoils azure" (Norwegian: På gull grunn tre blå fembladingar, 2-1).

The arms show three blue flowers of the species Gentiana nivalis which are commonly called "Snow Gentian".

Three flowers were chosen to represent the three main settlements of the municipality: Aurdal, Fagernes, and Leira.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Nord-Aurdal is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms.

The mayors of Nord-Aurdal:[37] The Valdres Folkemuseum is located just outside Fagernes and has large collections of old houses, textiles, and music instruments.