Extraordinary numbers of banks
The street grid just near Pollen bay in the town centre holds an extraordinary number of banks for such a small town. If I did not know better I could have suspected this was some sort of Virgin Islands Tax Haven... It definitiely isn't... Just a weird collection of mostly ugly, sterile -60-70'ies bank facades. Doesn't add any to the attractiveness of the town...
The main reason is probably Arendal's role as a county centre and the absences of other businesses apart from small shops due to lack of space in the crammed town centre between the cliffs and the water. But the banks hold on to their location.

View from boattrip
Local train
model train
Skipperkroa