La Ferrière, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
La Ferrière is a municipality
in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton
of Bern
in Switzerland
. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura
(Jura Bernois).
. In 1749 it was known as La Ferriere or Communauté des Montagnes de Saint-Imier.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.4%. 25.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 8.5% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.6% is used for growing crops and 41.6% is pastures and 19.1% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 31.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(16.9%), the Green Party
(15.8%) and the FDP
(10.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 31.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.1% and the seniors (over 64 years old) make up 12.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In La Ferrière about 70.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
La Ferrière has an unemployment rate of 2.77%. , there were 101 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 37 businesses involved in this sector. 107 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 9 businesses in this sector. 45 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 14 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
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 Jura bernois administrative district 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 Bern
Canton of Berne
The Canton of Bern is the second largest of the 26 Swiss cantons by both surface area and population. Located in west-central Switzerland, it borders the Canton of Jura and the Canton of Solothurn to the north. To the west lie the Canton of Neuchâtel, the Canton of Fribourg and Vaud. To the south...
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....
. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura
Bernese Jura
Bernese Jura is the name for the French-speaking area of the Swiss canton of Bern, and from 2010 one of five administrative divisions of the canton....
(Jura Bernois).
History
Founded in 1590 as les Hautes Montagnes d'Erguël by settlers from ValanginValangin
Valangin is a municipality in the district of Val-de-Ruz in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.-Geography:Valangin has an area, , of . Of this area, or 39.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 49.7% is forested...
. In 1749 it was known as La Ferriere or Communauté des Montagnes de Saint-Imier.
Geography
La Ferrière, Switzerland has an area, , of 14.16 km² (5.5 sq mi). Of this area, 8.82 km² (3.4 sq mi) or 62.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 4.79 km² (1.8 sq mi) or 33.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.52 km² (0.200773122468118 sq mi) or 3.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 0.2% is either rivers or lakes and 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 0.1% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.4%. 25.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 8.5% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.6% is used for growing crops and 41.6% is pastures and 19.1% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
Demographics
La Ferrière has a population (as of ) of . , 5.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7.1%. Most of the population speaks French (81.5%), with German being second most common (16.6%) and Italian being third ( 1.0%).In the 2007 election 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 31.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(16.9%), the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(15.8%) and the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(10.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 31.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.1% and the seniors (over 64 years old) make up 12.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In La Ferrière about 70.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
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...
).
La Ferrière has an unemployment rate of 2.77%. , there were 101 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 37 businesses involved in this sector. 107 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 9 businesses in this sector. 45 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 14 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1813 | 654 |
| 1850 | 796 |
| 1870 | 1,0 |
| 1900 | 723 |
| 1950 | 554 |
| 2000 | 513 |