Hälsingland is a landscape on the east coast of central Sweden, part of the province of Gävleborg. It is the area that a long time ago got the first two-story wooden farmhouses of Sweden, as a sign of progress. In 2012 this original development was recognized by the Unesco World Heritage Council, giving a few out of almost a thousand remaing typical Hälsingegårdarna (gård means farm) the special World Heritage List status. Urbanisation in Hälsingland is concentrated in and around Hudiksvall, Ljusdal, Bollnäs and Söderhamn.