The farms in Modalen are placed on top af old, fertile sea- and riverbeds. Modalen has always been farmland. Sand has been another great resource and it has provided people here with work and business. In 1975 BKK started to build the powerstation connected to the Steinslands waters. It took 20 years to complete and now produces 10 % of all the electrical power Bergen uses. 

HISTORY 
Mo has had a church since the middle age and was a parish since before 1350. An old road from Voss passes the farm, Farestveit. Mo was placed strategically between the inland settlements and the seaway. Both people from the upper valley and from Eksingedal came here when on their way to church or to town. In old times people from Eksingedal had a strenious task travelling across the mountain from Flatekval to Farestveit, or from Høvik to Krossdal to get to town. Modalen has its name from the farm and parish, Mo, which means a flat sand meadow. 

CULTURE 
In 1996 stonecarvings were found by the inlet of Mostraumen. They are about 3000 year old. The church in Mo, from 1883, is a beautiful, wooden building. The old general store from 1898 is restored and is now used for accommodational building. 

The poet, Olav Nygard, was born on the mountainfarm, Krossen, in upper Modalen. Olav Nygard is considered an important poet in Norway. He left only four small collections, but with extraordinairy quality. 

ROAD 
For a long time the seaway was the most important transportation from Mo to Bergen. It took 12 hours to row 63 km to town. 
Until 1976 the fjord was the only way out of the valley. In 1976 there was made a tunnel to Eksingedal and 20 years later, a road by the fjordside to Romarheim. Modalen now has good connections to the two main roads in western Norway. 

CLIMATE 
Modalen has high humidity.The climate is oseanic and summers can be very hot.