Ballens
Encyclopedia
Ballens is a municipality
in the district of Morges in the canton
of Vaud
in Switzerland
.
from the Hallstatt
time period was found near Ballens.
The first record of Ballens is from 1139 under the name Barlens. In 1453 the spelling Balens appeared. In the Middle Ages
Ballens was the center of a small dominion which was under the control of the Romainmôtier
monastery
and the lords of Aubonne. After the capture of Vaud
by Bern in 1536 Ballens shared in the fate of Aubonne and in 1701 it became part of the district of Aubonne. After the collapse of the Ancien régime the village belonged to the canton of Léman from 1798 to 1803 during the Helvetic Republic
. It finally became a part of the canton of Vaud as a part of a treaty. In 1798 Ballens was assigned to the district of Morges, and in 1803 it became part of the district of Aubonne.
(AMSL), 11 km (6.84 mi) northwest of the city of Morges
(as the crow flies
). It is a scattered village, spread out over a knoll on a plateau at the foot of the Jura Mountains
.
Ballens has an area, , of 8.48 square kilometres (3.3 sq mi). Of this area, 5.42 km² (2.1 sq mi) or 63.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.49 km² (0.961394374895412 sq mi) or 29.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.48 km² (0.185329036124417 sq mi) or 5.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 0.4% is either rivers or lakes and 0.06 km² (14.8 acre) or 0.7% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.7%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 60.8% is used for growing crops and 2.7% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
It contains a section of the western edge of the Swiss Plateau
. The municipality stretches from the foot of the Jura Mountains eastward over the valley lowlands of the Veyron River and the rise that Ballens sits on and then to the dry river valley
of Grand Marais in the east. This wide, flat valley serves as a channel for melt water from the Rhône Glacier
, a remnant from the Ice Age
.
In the south there is a forest, Le Sépey, which contains, at 729 m (2,391.7 ft) AMSL, is the highest point in Ballens. In the far southeast of the municipality there is a part of the forest Les Bougeries (at 704 m (2,309.7 ft) AMSL).
The hamlet Froidevill (685 m (2,247.4 ft) AMSL) is a part of Ballens, located on the western edge of the Grand Marais valley. The municipalities which border Ballens are Bière
, Berolle
, Mollens
, Apples
and Yens
.
The municipality was part of the Aubonne District until it was dissolved on 31 August 2006, and Ballens became part of the new district of Morges.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Or, on a bend Gules in chef dexter a cross bottony Argent.
Most of the population speaks French
(301 or 88.0%), with German
being second most common (19 or 5.6%) and Portuguese
being third (17 or 5.0%). There are 2 people who speak Italian
.
Of the population in the municipality 111 or about 32.5% were born in Ballens and lived there in 2000. There were 102 or 29.8% who were born in the same canton, while 69 or 20.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 50 or 14.6% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 5 live births to Swiss citizens and were 3 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 2 while the foreign population remained the same. There were 3 Swiss men and 2 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 2 non-Swiss men who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 13 and the non-Swiss population increased by 3 people. This represents a population growth rate of 3.8%.
The age distribution, , in Ballens is; 51 children or 11.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 51 teenagers or 11.7% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 60 people or 13.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 44 people or 10.1% are between 30 and 39, 62 people or 14.3% are between 40 and 49, and 58 people or 13.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 50 people or 11.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 33 people or 7.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 22 people or 5.1% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 4 people or 0.9% who are 90 and older.
, there were 116 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 182 married individuals, 29 widows or widowers and 15 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.54 which is less people per room than the cantonal average of 0.61 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 56.6% 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 145 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. There were 40 households that consist of only one person and 10 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 149 households that answered this question, 26.8% were households made up of just one person and there were 3 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 54 married couples without children, 39 married couples with children There were 8 single parents with a child or children. There was 1 household that was made up of unrelated people and 4 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 50 single family homes (or 47.6% of the total) out of a total of 105 inhabited buildings. There were 12 multi-family buildings (11.4%), along with 32 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (30.5%) and 11 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (10.5%). Of the single family homes 21 were built before 1919, while 2 were built between 1990 and 2000. The most multi-family homes (5) were built before 1919 and the next most (3) were built between 1946 and 1960. There was 1 multi-family house built between 1996 and 2000.
there were 159 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 44. There were 7 single room apartments and 50 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 136 apartments (85.5% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 20 apartments (12.6%) were seasonally occupied and 3 apartments (1.9%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 4.6 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.1%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
church was first mentioned in 1139. The building has been remodeled many times; the bell tower
was added in 1715. In the old city center there are traditional farmhouse
s from the 16th century to the 19th century.
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 36.18% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(21.3%), the LPS Party
(11.73%) and the FDP
(10.83%). In the federal election, a total of 156 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 54.4%.
and cattle breeding, as it pertains to dairy farming
. Thanks to the good transportation options, some construction businesses, a blacksmith
shop and a bookbinding
shop have more to Ballens. More people are also employed in the service sector.
, Ballens had an unemployment rate of 3.6%. , there were 60 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 18 businesses involved in this sector. 25 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 4 businesses in this sector. 60 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 11 businesses in this sector. There were 194 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.3% of the workforce.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 115. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 37, of which 31 were in agriculture and 6 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 23 of which 7 or (30.4%) were in manufacturing and 16 (69.6%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 55. In the tertiary sector; 5 or 9.1% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 34 or 61.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 4 or 7.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 3.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 3 or 5.5% were in education.
, there were 39 workers who commuted into the municipality and 113 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.9 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 12.8% of the workforce coming into Ballens are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 10.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 52.6% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population,, and there were 8 individuals (or about 2.34% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 2 (or about 0.58% of the population) who were Islam
ic. 43 (or about 12.57% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 7 individuals (or about 2.05% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 40 who completed tertiary schooling, 52.5% were Swiss men, 40.0% were Swiss women.
In the 2009/2010 school year there were a total of 50 students in the Ballens school district. In the Vaud cantonal school system, two years of non-obligatory pre-school are provided by the political districts. During the school year, the political district provided pre-school care for a total of 631 children of which 203 children (32.2%) received subsidized pre-school care. The canton's primary school program requires students to attend for four years. There were 27 students in the municipal primary school program. The obligatory lower secondary school program lasts for six years and there were 23 students in those schools.
, there were 19 students in Ballens who came from another municipality, while 27 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
. It is located on the main road that runs from Morges
to Bière. On July 1, 1895 the light railway
Chemin de fer Bière-Apples-Morges began service to a station in Ballens.
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 Morges 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 Vaud
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
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
A tumulusTumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
from the Hallstatt
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
time period was found near Ballens.
The first record of Ballens is from 1139 under the name Barlens. In 1453 the spelling Balens appeared. In 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...
Ballens was the center of a small dominion which was under the control of the Romainmôtier
Romainmôtier
Romainmôtier is a village and former municipality in the district of Orbe in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland.In 1970 the municipality was merged with the neighboring municipality Envy to form a new and larger municipality Romainmôtier-Envy.-References:...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
and the lords of Aubonne. After the capture of Vaud
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
by Bern in 1536 Ballens shared in the fate of Aubonne and in 1701 it became part of the district of Aubonne. After the collapse of the Ancien régime the village belonged to the canton of Léman from 1798 to 1803 during the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
. It finally became a part of the canton of Vaud as a part of a treaty. In 1798 Ballens was assigned to the district of Morges, and in 1803 it became part of the district of Aubonne.
Geography
Ballens is located at 707 m (2,319.6 ft) above mean sea levelAbove mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
(AMSL), 11 km (6.84 mi) northwest of the city of Morges
Morges
Morges is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the district of Morges and is also the seat of the district.-History:...
(as the crow flies
As the crow flies
"As the crow flies" or beelining is an idiom for the shortest route between two points; the geodesic distance.An example is the great-circle distance between Key West and Pensacola, at either end of the U.S...
). It is a scattered village, spread out over a knoll on a plateau at the foot of the Jura Mountains
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
.
Ballens has an area, , of 8.48 square kilometres (3.3 sq mi). Of this area, 5.42 km² (2.1 sq mi) or 63.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.49 km² (0.961394374895412 sq mi) or 29.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.48 km² (0.185329036124417 sq mi) or 5.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 0.4% is either rivers or lakes and 0.06 km² (14.8 acre) or 0.7% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.7%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 60.8% is used for growing crops and 2.7% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
It contains a section of the western edge of the Swiss Plateau
Swiss plateau
The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau constitutes one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland alongside the Jura mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of the Swiss surface...
. The municipality stretches from the foot of the Jura Mountains eastward over the valley lowlands of the Veyron River and the rise that Ballens sits on and then to the dry river valley
Arroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
of Grand Marais in the east. This wide, flat valley serves as a channel for melt water from the Rhône Glacier
Rhône Glacier
The Rhone Glacier, or sometimes Rhône Glacier is a glacier in the Swiss Alps and the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the Swiss canton of Valais...
, a remnant from the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
.
In the south there is a forest, Le Sépey, which contains, at 729 m (2,391.7 ft) AMSL, is the highest point in Ballens. In the far southeast of the municipality there is a part of the forest Les Bougeries (at 704 m (2,309.7 ft) AMSL).
The hamlet Froidevill (685 m (2,247.4 ft) AMSL) is a part of Ballens, located on the western edge of the Grand Marais valley. The municipalities which border Ballens are Bière
Bière
Bière is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the district of Morges.-Geography:Bière has an area, , of . Of this area, or 38.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 51.4% is forested...
, Berolle
Berolle
Berolle is municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the district of Morges.-History:Berolle is first mentioned in 1235 as Birula. In 1453 it was mentioned as Birolaz.-Geography:...
, Mollens
Mollens, Vaud
Mollens is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It is located in the district of Morges.-Geography:Mollens has an area, , of . Of this area, or 47.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 50.5% is forested...
, Apples
Apples, Vaud
Apples is a municipality in the district of Morges in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.- History :Apples has a long history of settlements. Remains from the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, and the Romans have been found in the municipality. The first true settlement was founded by the Burgundians in...
and Yens
Yens
Yens is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the district of Morges.-Geography:Yens has an area, , of . Of this area, or 54.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 38.5% is forested...
.
The municipality was part of the Aubonne District until it was dissolved on 31 August 2006, and Ballens became part of the new district of Morges.
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 Or, on a bend Gules in chef dexter a cross bottony Argent.
Demographics
Ballens has a population of . , 10.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of 27.6%. It has changed at a rate of 22.9% due to migration and at a rate of 4.7% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks 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...
(301 or 88.0%), 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 (19 or 5.6%) and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
being third (17 or 5.0%). There are 2 people who 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...
.
Of the population in the municipality 111 or about 32.5% were born in Ballens and lived there in 2000. There were 102 or 29.8% who were born in the same canton, while 69 or 20.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 50 or 14.6% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 5 live births to Swiss citizens and were 3 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 2 while the foreign population remained the same. There were 3 Swiss men and 2 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 2 non-Swiss men who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 13 and the non-Swiss population increased by 3 people. This represents a population growth rate of 3.8%.
The age distribution, , in Ballens is; 51 children or 11.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 51 teenagers or 11.7% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 60 people or 13.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 44 people or 10.1% are between 30 and 39, 62 people or 14.3% are between 40 and 49, and 58 people or 13.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 50 people or 11.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 33 people or 7.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 22 people or 5.1% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 4 people or 0.9% who are 90 and older.
, there were 116 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 182 married individuals, 29 widows or widowers and 15 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.54 which is less people per room than the cantonal average of 0.61 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 56.6% 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 145 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. There were 40 households that consist of only one person and 10 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 149 households that answered this question, 26.8% were households made up of just one person and there were 3 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 54 married couples without children, 39 married couples with children There were 8 single parents with a child or children. There was 1 household that was made up of unrelated people and 4 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 50 single family homes (or 47.6% of the total) out of a total of 105 inhabited buildings. There were 12 multi-family buildings (11.4%), along with 32 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (30.5%) and 11 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (10.5%). Of the single family homes 21 were built before 1919, while 2 were built between 1990 and 2000. The most multi-family homes (5) were built before 1919 and the next most (3) were built between 1946 and 1960. There was 1 multi-family house built between 1996 and 2000.
there were 159 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 44. There were 7 single room apartments and 50 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 136 apartments (85.5% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 20 apartments (12.6%) were seasonally occupied and 3 apartments (1.9%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 4.6 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.1%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Attractions
The Saint MauriceSaint Maurice
Saint Maurice was the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century, and one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that group. He was the patron saint of several professions, locales, and kingdoms...
church was first mentioned in 1139. The building has been remodeled many times; the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
was added in 1715. In the old city center there are traditional farmhouse
Farmhouse
Farmhouse is a general term for the main house of a farm. It is a type of building or house which serves a residential purpose in a rural or agricultural setting. Most often, the surrounding environment will be a farm. Many farm houses are shaped like a T...
s from the 16th century to the 19th century.
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 SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 36.18% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(21.3%), the LPS Party
Liberal Party of Switzerland
The Liberal Party of Switzerland was a party with economically liberal policies. It was known as a party of the upper class. On 1 January 2009 it merged with the larger Free Democratic Party to establish FDP.The Liberals....
(11.73%) and 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....
(10.83%). In the federal election, a total of 156 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 54.4%.
Economy
Until the middle of the 20th century Ballens was predominately an agricultural village. Today agriculture still plays an important role in the lives of its residents. They concentrate mainly on cultivationTillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
and cattle breeding, as it pertains to dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
. Thanks to the good transportation options, some construction businesses, a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop and a bookbinding
Bookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
shop have more to Ballens. More people are also employed in the service sector.
, Ballens had an unemployment rate of 3.6%. , there were 60 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 18 businesses involved in this sector. 25 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 4 businesses in this sector. 60 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 11 businesses in this sector. There were 194 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.3% of the workforce.
the total number of full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
jobs was 115. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 37, of which 31 were in agriculture and 6 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 23 of which 7 or (30.4%) were in manufacturing and 16 (69.6%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 55. In the tertiary sector; 5 or 9.1% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 34 or 61.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 4 or 7.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 3.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 3 or 5.5% were in education.
, there were 39 workers who commuted into the municipality and 113 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.9 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 12.8% of the workforce coming into Ballens are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 10.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 52.6% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 64 or 18.7% were Roman Catholic, while 218 or 63.7% 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...
. Of the rest of the population,, and there were 8 individuals (or about 2.34% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 2 (or about 0.58% of the population) who were Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. 43 (or about 12.57% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 7 individuals (or about 2.05% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Ballens about 131 or (38.3%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 40 or (11.7%) have completed 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...
). Of the 40 who completed tertiary schooling, 52.5% were Swiss men, 40.0% were Swiss women.
In the 2009/2010 school year there were a total of 50 students in the Ballens school district. In the Vaud cantonal school system, two years of non-obligatory pre-school are provided by the political districts. During the school year, the political district provided pre-school care for a total of 631 children of which 203 children (32.2%) received subsidized pre-school care. The canton's primary school program requires students to attend for four years. There were 27 students in the municipal primary school program. The obligatory lower secondary school program lasts for six years and there were 23 students in those schools.
, there were 19 students in Ballens who came from another municipality, while 27 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Transportation
The municipality is very accessible by public transportPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
. It is located on the main road that runs from Morges
Morges
Morges is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the district of Morges and is also the seat of the district.-History:...
to Bière. On July 1, 1895 the light railway
Light railway
Light railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs...
Chemin de fer Bière-Apples-Morges began service to a station in Ballens.