Agno
Encyclopedia
Agno is a municipality
in the district of Lugano
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
.
of Agno is related to the spread of Christianity in late-Roman era
along the Milan
-Como
-Riva San Vitale
axis. The patronage of the church (Giovanni Battista) refers to its character as a baptistery
. Documents from the years 735 and 818 (deed of gift by King Louis the Pious
) testify to the existence of a religious center at Agno. Originally, it was probably an Ambrosian Rite
church, in 1002-04 it came into the possession of the Bishop of Como
. A collegiate chapel
is first mentioned in 1192. The first known pastor is Guilielmus de Merchurolo in 1288. The extent of the parish (from Bironico
to Marchirolo
) is mentioned in the manuscript of Sessa from 1352.
The visitation records of Bishop
Giovanni Antonio Volpe of Como (1571) give a detailed report on the properties of the parishes belonging to the Pieve and the sub-parishes. On Swiss soil it included: Agno, Aranno
, Arosio
, Astano
, Bedigliora
, Bironico
, Bioggio
, Bosco Luganese, Breno
, Cademario
, Camignolo
, Caslano
, Castelrotto, Curio
, Ison
, Magliaso
, Medeglia
, Mezzovico, Miglieglia
, Mugena Muzzano, Neggio
, Novaggio
, Ponte Tresa
, Pura Rivera, Robasacco, S. Abbondio (Gentilino and Montagnola), S. Maria (Iseo and Cimo), Sessa
, Sigirino
, S. Pietro di Gravesano, Torricella Vernate, Vezio
and Vira
. The Pieve also included a number of villages, which are now in Italy. These included: Arbizzo, Ardena, Cadegliano, Cremenaga
, Cugliate, Fabiasco, Lavena, Marchirolo
, Marzio
, Viconago.
Initially it was under the authority of Como, and later the Duchy of Milan
. At the beginning of the 15th Century it was part of the communitas Vallis Lugani and appointed representatives to the Council of the Bailiwick
. Following the Act of Mediation
of 1803, the parish lost its political meaning entirely.
and along the Varese-Ponte Tresa-Monte Ceneri road, Agno was possibly the center of a Roman Pagus
. Some of the archeological finds from Roman Agno are in the local Museo plebano. As a central town, Agno became a commercial center with numerous market privileges
. One of these markets, the Fair of S. Provino (second Monday in March) has survived to this day.
These holdings of Bishop of Milan
in Agno during the Middle Ages
included fishing rights. These rights later went to the Bishop Como and then to local private ownership. The fishing rights were finally removed by Swiss authorities in 1843.
The Collegiate Church of San Giovanni Battista stands on the foundations of a previous Roman building. Within the church are the relic
s of the patron saint, S. Provino, who was the second Bishop of Como. The oldest village lay at the foot of the church, and later, the settlement extended to the hills and along the streets.
The correction of the Vedeggio
river course was done in 1906, which opened up additional agricultural land in Agno. After World War II the town grew rapidly from trade and industry. The emergence of tourism as an economic factor is reflected in population growth from 1960. In 1980, the Lugano-Agno airport
opened allowing scheduled flights into nearby Lugano. Its importance is continually growing both in terms of tourism in Ticino and the development of a financial center in Lugano. In 1990, there were 16,270 flights and 300,000 passengers into the airport. In 1996, the Federal Council
granted additional concession, which allowed the expansion of infrastructure to accommodate 700,000 passengers annually.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.4% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 25.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 11.2%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 6.0%. Out of the forested land, 17.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 6.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 21.7% is used for growing crops, while 3.2% is used for orchards or vine crops and 25.7% is used for alpine pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 0.4% is in lakes and 2.0% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 1.2% is unproductive vegetation and .
The municipality is located in the Lugano district, and is the most important municipality in the Malcantone valley. It consists of the village of Agno and the settlements of Cassina, Mondonico and Serocca.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Per fess gules a cross argent and argent a fish nainaint gules.
Most of the population speaks Italian
(80.3%), with German
being second most common (11.1%) and French
being third (2.2%). Of the Swiss national languages , 406 speak German
, 79 people speak French
, 2,934 people speak Italian
, and 6 people speak Romansh. The remainder (230 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 47.0% male and 53.0% female. The population was made up of 1,258 Swiss men (30.9% of the population), and 654 (16.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,584 Swiss women (39.0%), and 570 (14.0%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 25 live births to Swiss citizens and 17 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 22 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 3 while the foreign population increased by 15. There were 8 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland and 2 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 34 non-Swiss men and 21 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of 4 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 50 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.2%.
The age distribution, , in Agno is; 393 children or 9.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 407 teenagers or 10.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 412 people or 10.1% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 677 people or 16.7% are between 30 and 39, 685 people or 16.8% are between 40 and 49, and 464 people or 11.4% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 531 people or 13.1% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 319 people or 7.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 178 people or 4.4% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.62 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 32.6% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 1,588 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. there were 465 single family homes (or 58.7% of the total) out of a total of 792 inhabited buildings. There were 120 two family buildings (15.2%) and 111 multi-family buildings (14.0%). There were also 96 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.65%. there were 1,931 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 568. There were 99 single room apartments and 370 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 1,586 apartments (82.1% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 305 apartments (15.8%) were seasonally occupied and 40 apartments (2.1%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.3 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 25.41% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(21.6%), the Ticino League
(20.38%) and the SP
(14.88%). In the federal election, a total of 899 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 41.9%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 2,120 registered voters in Agno, of which 1,204 or 56.8% voted. 18 blank ballots and 5 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,181 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
which received 262 or 22.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD
+GenGiova (with 237 or 20.1%), the LEGA
(with 223 or 18.9%) and the SSI (with 191 or 16.2%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 16 blank ballots and 6 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,181 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the LEGA which received 293 or 24.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 247 or 20.9%), the PPD (with 238 or 20.2%) and the PS (with 164 or 13.9%).
, there were 2,371 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,261 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.9 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 20.5% of the workforce coming into Agno are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.4% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 11.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 59.6% used a private car.
, there were 2 hotels in Agno.
. There are 336 individuals (or about 9.19% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 130 individuals (or about 3.56% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
In Agno there were a total of 631 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Agno there were 100 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the village, 175 students attended the standard primary schools and 9 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 173 students in the two year middle school and 4 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 50 students were in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 53 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 60 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 7 students in the professional program.
, there were 446 students in Agno who came from another municipality, while 131 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Lugano
Lugano (district)
The district of Lugano is a district of Canton Ticino, Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:The Lugano District has an area, , of . Of this area, or 15.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 66.5% is forested...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
Agno is first mentioned in 818 as Anium. It was known by its German name Eng, though this is no longer used.Pieve of Agno
The emergence of the Pieve or ParishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Agno is related to the spread of Christianity in late-Roman era
Switzerland in the Roman era
The history of Switzerland in the Roman era encompasses the roughly six centuries during which the territory of modern Switzerland was a part of the Roman Republic and Empire...
along the Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
-Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
-Riva San Vitale
Riva San Vitale
Riva San Vitale is a municipality in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland, located in the district of Mendrisio.Riva San Vitale is also the home of the Virginia Tech Center for European Studies and Architecture , the European campus center and base of operations for the regional activities of...
axis. The patronage of the church (Giovanni Battista) refers to its character as a baptistery
Baptistery
In Christian architecture the baptistry or baptistery is the separate centrally-planned structure surrounding the baptismal font. The baptistry may be incorporated within the body of a church or cathedral and be provided with an altar as a chapel...
. Documents from the years 735 and 818 (deed of gift by King Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
) testify to the existence of a religious center at Agno. Originally, it was probably an Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite, also called the Milanese Rite, is a Catholic liturgical Western Rite. The rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century...
church, in 1002-04 it came into the possession of the Bishop of Como
Roman Catholic Diocese of Como
The Catholic diocese of Como, in northern Italy, has existed since the fourth century. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Milan. The bishops' seat is in Como Cathedral....
. A collegiate chapel
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
is first mentioned in 1192. The first known pastor is Guilielmus de Merchurolo in 1288. The extent of the parish (from Bironico
Bironico
Bironico is a village in the northern end of the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.The municipalities of Medeglia, Bironico, Camignolo, Rivera and Sigirino merged on 21 November 2010 into the new municipality of Monteceneri.-History:...
to Marchirolo
Marchirolo
Marchirolo is a comune in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km northwest of Milan and about 15 km north of Varese. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,355 and an area of 5.5 km².Marchirolo borders the following municipalities:...
) is mentioned in the manuscript of Sessa from 1352.
The visitation records of Bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
Giovanni Antonio Volpe of Como (1571) give a detailed report on the properties of the parishes belonging to the Pieve and the sub-parishes. On Swiss soil it included: Agno, Aranno
Aranno
Aranno is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in southern Switzerland. Bordering municipalities are Cademario, Iseo, Alto Malcantone, Miglieglia and Novaggio....
, Arosio
Arosio
-External links:* * * * * * * Bird observatory...
, Astano
Astano
Astano is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Astano is first mentioned in 1272 as Astanum. The old village center has some architecturally notable buildings, such as the Ca 'da Roma. In the Middle Ages the monastery of S. Pietro in Ciel d'Oro...
, Bedigliora
Bedigliora
Bedigliora is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Bedigliora is first mentioned in 1335 as Bedaliola. The settlement of Banco is first mentioned as Bango in 1421....
, Bironico
Bironico
Bironico is a village in the northern end of the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.The municipalities of Medeglia, Bironico, Camignolo, Rivera and Sigirino merged on 21 November 2010 into the new municipality of Monteceneri.-History:...
, Bioggio
Bioggio
Bioggio is a municipality in the district of Lugano, in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.The municipality was created in 2004 with the union of old town of Bioggio, Bosco Luganese and Cimo. In the 2008 also Iseo has chosen to be part of municipality and be aggregated with the other old...
, Bosco Luganese, Breno
Breno
Breno is an Italian comune of 5.014 inhabitants in Val Camonica, province of Brescia, in Lombardy.-Geography:It is bounded by other communes of Bagolino, Bienno, Braone, Ceto, Cividate Camuno, Condino , Daone , Losine, Malegno, Niardo, Prestine.The village of Breno stands in a ravine by the...
, Cademario
Cademario
Cademario is a municipality located in the district of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino. Bordering municipalities are Aranno, Bioggio and Iseo, in the Alto Malcantone area.-History:Cademario is first mentioned in 1163 as Cademerio...
, Camignolo
Camignolo
Camignolo is a former municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The municipalities of Medeglia, Bironico, Camignolo, Rivera and Sigirino merged on 21 November 2010 into the new municiplaity of Monteceneri.-History:...
, Caslano
Caslano
Caslano is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino, near to the Italian border.-History:The center of the village is built within a Roman era fortification...
, Castelrotto, Curio
Curio
Curio may refer to:* A strange and interesting object which evokes curiosity** Curio , a predominantly glass cabinet with a metal or wood framework used to display collections of curios...
, Ison
Ison
Ison may refer to :* Isön, a small island in lake Storsjön, Jämtland, Sweden* Ison , a drone note of Byzantine chant* a muscadine cultivar* ISON, an IRC command to see whether a nick is currently online...
, Magliaso
Magliaso
Magliaso is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Magliaso is first mentioned in 769 as de Maliacis. In 854 it was mentioned as de vico Maliaci....
, Medeglia
Medeglia
Medeglia is a former municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 21 November 2010, the former municipalities of Medeglia, Bironico, Camignolo, Rivera and Sigirino merged in the new municipality of Monteceneri....
, Mezzovico, Miglieglia
Miglieglia
Miglieglia is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Numerous, but inconclusive archaeological findings indicate that there may have been a Roman era settlement near the current municipality. On a promontory overlooking the river Magliasina are...
, Mugena Muzzano, Neggio
Neggio
Neggio is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Neggio is first mentioned in 807 as Nego. In 1335 it was mentioned as Negio. Tombs from the 3rd-4th Century suggest that there was a Roman settlement near the modern village. In the 15th Century it...
, Novaggio
Novaggio
Novaggio is a municipality in the district of Lugano, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.-History:Novaggio is first mentioned in 1244 as Novagio....
, Ponte Tresa
Ponte Tresa
Ponte Tresa is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Ponte Tresa is first mentioned in 818 as ad Tresiae Pontem, though this comes from a 12th Century copy of the earlier document. In 875 it was mentioned as Ponte Tretia...
, Pura Rivera, Robasacco, S. Abbondio (Gentilino and Montagnola), S. Maria (Iseo and Cimo), Sessa
Sessa
Sessa is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Sessa is first mentioned in 1335 as Sexa....
, Sigirino
Sigirino
Sigirino is a former municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The municipalities of Medeglia, Bironico, Camignolo, Rivera and Sigirino merged on 21 November 2010 into the new municiplaity of Monteceneri.-History:...
, S. Pietro di Gravesano, Torricella Vernate, Vezio
Vezio
Vezio is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 2005 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Arosio, Breno, Fescoggia and Mugena to form a new and larger municipality Alto Malcantone.-History:...
and Vira
Vira (Gambarogno)
Vira is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of...
. The Pieve also included a number of villages, which are now in Italy. These included: Arbizzo, Ardena, Cadegliano, Cremenaga
Cremenaga
Cremenaga is a comune in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km northwest of Milan and about 20 km north of Varese, on the border with Switzerland...
, Cugliate, Fabiasco, Lavena, Marchirolo
Marchirolo
Marchirolo is a comune in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km northwest of Milan and about 15 km north of Varese. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,355 and an area of 5.5 km².Marchirolo borders the following municipalities:...
, Marzio
Marzio
Marzio is a comune in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km northwest of Milan and about 13 km north of Varese. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 290 and an area of 2.0 km²....
, Viconago.
Initially it was under the authority of Como, and later the Duchy of Milan
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan , was created on the 1st of may 1395, when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, purchased a diploma for 100,000 Florins from King Wenceslaus. It was this diploma that installed, Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan and Count of Pavia...
. At the beginning of the 15th Century it was part of the communitas Vallis Lugani and appointed representatives to the Council of the Bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
. Following the Act of Mediation
Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802,...
of 1803, the parish lost its political meaning entirely.
Community of Agno
Because of its strategic location at the northern end of an arm of Lake LuganoLake Lugano
Lake Lugano is a glacial lake in the south-east of Switzerland, at the border between Switzerland and Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated between Lake Como and Lago Maggiore...
and along the Varese-Ponte Tresa-Monte Ceneri road, Agno was possibly the center of a Roman Pagus
Pagus
In the later Western Roman Empire, following the reorganization of Diocletian, a pagus became the smallest administrative district of a province....
. Some of the archeological finds from Roman Agno are in the local Museo plebano. As a central town, Agno became a commercial center with numerous market privileges
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
. One of these markets, the Fair of S. Provino (second Monday in March) has survived to this day.
These holdings of Bishop of Milan
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan
The Archdiocese of Milan is a metropolitan see of the Catholic Church in Italy. It has long maintained its own rite: the Ambrosian rite. It is led by the Archbishop of Milan who serves as metropolitan to the dioceses of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Crema, Cremona, Lodi, Mantova, Pavia, and Vigevano.The...
in Agno during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
included fishing rights. These rights later went to the Bishop Como and then to local private ownership. The fishing rights were finally removed by Swiss authorities in 1843.
The Collegiate Church of San Giovanni Battista stands on the foundations of a previous Roman building. Within the church are the relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s of the patron saint, S. Provino, who was the second Bishop of Como. The oldest village lay at the foot of the church, and later, the settlement extended to the hills and along the streets.
The correction of the Vedeggio
Vedeggio
The Vedeggio is a river of the Swiss Canton Ticino which rises on the slopes of Monte Camoghè between Bellinzona and Lugano, crosses the plain of Vedeggio , and enters Lake Lugano at Agno.-References:...
river course was done in 1906, which opened up additional agricultural land in Agno. After World War II the town grew rapidly from trade and industry. The emergence of tourism as an economic factor is reflected in population growth from 1960. In 1980, the Lugano-Agno airport
Lugano Airport
Lugano Airport is a regional airport located west of Lugano, Switzerland. It lies closer to the nearby village of Agno than to Lugano itself, and so is usually known as Lugano-Agno....
opened allowing scheduled flights into nearby Lugano. Its importance is continually growing both in terms of tourism in Ticino and the development of a financial center in Lugano. In 1990, there were 16,270 flights and 300,000 passengers into the airport. In 1996, the Federal Council
Swiss Federal Council
The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....
granted additional concession, which allowed the expansion of infrastructure to accommodate 700,000 passengers annually.
Geography
Agno has an area, , of 2.49 square kilometre (0.961394374895412 sq mi). Of this area, 1.26 km² (0.486488719826594 sq mi) or 50.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.58 km² (0.22393925198367 sq mi) or 23.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.2 km² (0.463322590311042 sq mi) or 48.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.06 km² (14.8 acre) or 2.4% is either rivers or lakes and 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 1.2% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.4% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 25.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 11.2%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 6.0%. Out of the forested land, 17.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 6.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 21.7% is used for growing crops, while 3.2% is used for orchards or vine crops and 25.7% is used for alpine pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 0.4% is in lakes and 2.0% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 1.2% is unproductive vegetation and .
The municipality is located in the Lugano district, and is the most important municipality in the Malcantone valley. It consists of the village of Agno and the settlements of Cassina, Mondonico and Serocca.
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Per fess gules a cross argent and argent a fish nainaint gules.
Demographics
Agno has a population of . , 30.5% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 8.5%.Most of the population speaks Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
(80.3%), with German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
being second most common (11.1%) and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
being third (2.2%). Of the Swiss national languages , 406 speak German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, 79 people speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, 2,934 people speak Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and 6 people speak Romansh. The remainder (230 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 47.0% male and 53.0% female. The population was made up of 1,258 Swiss men (30.9% of the population), and 654 (16.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,584 Swiss women (39.0%), and 570 (14.0%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 25 live births to Swiss citizens and 17 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 22 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 3 while the foreign population increased by 15. There were 8 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland and 2 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 34 non-Swiss men and 21 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of 4 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 50 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.2%.
The age distribution, , in Agno is; 393 children or 9.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 407 teenagers or 10.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 412 people or 10.1% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 677 people or 16.7% are between 30 and 39, 685 people or 16.8% are between 40 and 49, and 464 people or 11.4% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 531 people or 13.1% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 319 people or 7.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 178 people or 4.4% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.62 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 32.6% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 1,588 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. there were 465 single family homes (or 58.7% of the total) out of a total of 792 inhabited buildings. There were 120 two family buildings (15.2%) and 111 multi-family buildings (14.0%). There were also 96 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.65%. there were 1,931 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 568. There were 99 single room apartments and 370 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 1,586 apartments (82.1% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 305 apartments (15.8%) were seasonally occupied and 40 apartments (2.1%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.3 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
which received 25.41% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
(21.6%), the Ticino League
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(20.38%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(14.88%). In the federal election, a total of 899 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 41.9%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 2,120 registered voters in Agno, of which 1,204 or 56.8% voted. 18 blank ballots and 5 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,181 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
which received 262 or 22.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
+GenGiova (with 237 or 20.1%), the LEGA
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(with 223 or 18.9%) and the SSI (with 191 or 16.2%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 16 blank ballots and 6 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,181 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the LEGA which received 293 or 24.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 247 or 20.9%), the PPD (with 238 or 20.2%) and the PS (with 164 or 13.9%).
Economy
, Agno had an unemployment rate of 4.74%. , there were 14 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 4 businesses involved in this sector. 773 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 41 businesses in this sector. 1,814 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 214 businesses in this sector. There were 1,855 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.5% of the workforce., there were 2,371 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,261 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.9 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 20.5% of the workforce coming into Agno are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.4% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 11.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 59.6% used a private car.
, there were 2 hotels in Agno.
Religion
From the , 2,787 or 76.3% were Roman Catholic, while 402 or 11.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. There are 336 individuals (or about 9.19% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 130 individuals (or about 3.56% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Agno about 67.9% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
In Agno there were a total of 631 students . The Ticino education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and in Agno there were 100 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the village, 175 students attended the standard primary schools and 9 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 173 students in the two year middle school and 4 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 50 students were in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 53 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 60 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 7 students in the professional program.
, there were 446 students in Agno who came from another municipality, while 131 residents attended schools outside the municipality.