La Côte-aux-Fées
Encyclopedia
La Côte-aux-Fées is a municipality
in the district of Val-de-Travers
in the canton
of Neuchâtel in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.5%. Out of the forested land, 35.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 36.5% is pastures and 19.1% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
The municipality is located in the Val-de-Travers district. It consists of about a dozen hamlets
, the most important of which is Les Bolles-du-Temple.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Azure, a Lamb Argent passant on a base Vert. This is an example of canting
since the old version of the name is Coste eis Faes or hill of the lambs.
Most of the population speaks French
(496 or 93.8%) as their first language, German
is the second most common (22 or 4.2%) and Portuguese
is the third (7 or 1.3%). There are 2 people who speak Italian
.
, the population was 50.3% male and 49.7% female. The population was made up of 212 Swiss men (46.8% of the population) and 16 (3.5%) non-Swiss men. There were 208 Swiss women (45.9%) and 17 (3.8%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 160 or about 30.2% were born in La Côte-aux-Fées and lived there in 2000. There were 132 or 25.0% who were born in the same canton, while 142 or 26.8% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 64 or 12.1% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 18.3% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 56.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 25%.
, there were 195 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 246 married individuals, 54 widows or widowers and 34 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 219 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. There were 85 households that consist of only one person and 13 households with five or more people. , a total of 216 apartments (75.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 54 apartments (18.8%) were seasonally occupied and 18 apartments (6.3%) were empty. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.02%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 41.96% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(16.07%), the FDP
(12.69%) and the LPS Party
(11.51%). In the federal election, a total of 248 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 64.6%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 279. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 29, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 144 of which 136 or (94.4%) were in manufacturing and 8 (5.6%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 106. In the tertiary sector; 16 or 15.1% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 6 or 5.7% were in the movement and storage of goods, 4 or 3.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 1.9% were the insurance or financial industry, 1 was a technical professional or scientist, 2 or 1.9% were in education and 57 or 53.8% were in health care.
, there were 219 workers who commuted into the municipality and 91 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 2.4 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 16.4% of the workforce coming into La Côte-aux-Fées are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 7.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 47.3% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 member of an Orthodox church
, and there were 170 individuals (or about 32.14% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 78 (or about 14.74% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 25 individuals (or about 4.73% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 58 who completed tertiary schooling, 55.2% were Swiss men, 29.3% were Swiss women, 10.3% were non-Swiss men.
In the canton of Neuchâtel most municipalities provide two years of non-mandatory kindergarten
, followed by five years of mandatory primary education. The next four years of mandatory secondary education is provided at thirteen larger secondary schools, which many students travel out of their home municipality to attend. During the 2010-11 school year, there were 0.5 kindergarten classes with a total of 8 students in La Côte-aux-Fées. In the same year, there was one primary class with a total of 17 students.
, there were 15 students in La Côte-aux-Fées who came from another municipality, while 31 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 Val-de-Travers
Val-de-Travers (district)
Val-de-Travers District is a district in the canton of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland. It is famous for its clock industry. It is also famous for being the historical birthplace of absinthe which is now once again being distilled in the region...
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 Neuchâtel 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....
.
Geography
La Côte-aux-Fées has an area, , of 12.9 square kilometre. Of this area, 7.15 square kilometre or 55.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 5.27 square kilometre or 41.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.39 square kilometre or 3.0% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes and 0.04 km² (9.9 acre) or 0.3% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.5%. Out of the forested land, 35.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 36.5% is pastures and 19.1% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
The municipality is located in the Val-de-Travers district. It consists of about a dozen hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
, the most important of which is Les Bolles-du-Temple.
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 Azure, a Lamb Argent passant on a base Vert. This is an example of canting
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
since the old version of the name is Coste eis Faes or hill of the lambs.
Demographics
La Côte-aux-Fées has a population of . , 8.2% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of -13.6%. Migration accounted for -6.7%, while births and deaths accounted for -3.3%.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...
(496 or 93.8%) as their first language, 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....
is the second most common (22 or 4.2%) 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...
is the third (7 or 1.3%). 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...
.
, the population was 50.3% male and 49.7% female. The population was made up of 212 Swiss men (46.8% of the population) and 16 (3.5%) non-Swiss men. There were 208 Swiss women (45.9%) and 17 (3.8%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 160 or about 30.2% were born in La Côte-aux-Fées and lived there in 2000. There were 132 or 25.0% who were born in the same canton, while 142 or 26.8% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 64 or 12.1% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 18.3% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 56.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 25%.
, there were 195 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 246 married individuals, 54 widows or widowers and 34 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 219 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. There were 85 households that consist of only one person and 13 households with five or more people. , a total of 216 apartments (75.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 54 apartments (18.8%) were seasonally occupied and 18 apartments (6.3%) were empty. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.02%.
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 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 41.96% 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....
(16.07%), 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....
(12.69%) and 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....
(11.51%). In the federal election, a total of 248 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 64.6%.
Economy
, La Côte-aux-Fées had an unemployment rate of 3.1%. , there were 35 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 16 businesses involved in this sector. 151 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 12 businesses in this sector. 140 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 19 businesses in this sector. There were 241 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 42.3% 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 279. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 29, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 144 of which 136 or (94.4%) were in manufacturing and 8 (5.6%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 106. In the tertiary sector; 16 or 15.1% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 6 or 5.7% were in the movement and storage of goods, 4 or 3.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 1.9% were the insurance or financial industry, 1 was a technical professional or scientist, 2 or 1.9% were in education and 57 or 53.8% were in health care.
, there were 219 workers who commuted into the municipality and 91 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 2.4 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 16.4% of the workforce coming into La Côte-aux-Fées are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 7.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 47.3% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 59 or 11.2% were Roman Catholic, while 278 or 52.6% 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, there was 1 member of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
, and there were 170 individuals (or about 32.14% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 78 (or about 14.74% 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 25 individuals (or about 4.73% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In La Côte-aux-Fées about 163 or (30.8%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 58 or (11.0%) 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 58 who completed tertiary schooling, 55.2% were Swiss men, 29.3% were Swiss women, 10.3% were non-Swiss men.
In the canton of Neuchâtel most municipalities provide two 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...
, followed by five years of mandatory primary education. The next four years of mandatory secondary education is provided at thirteen larger secondary schools, which many students travel out of their home municipality to attend. During the 2010-11 school year, there were 0.5 kindergarten classes with a total of 8 students in La Côte-aux-Fées. In the same year, there was one primary class with a total of 17 students.
, there were 15 students in La Côte-aux-Fées who came from another municipality, while 31 residents attended schools outside the municipality.