Massongex
Encyclopedia
Massongex is a municipality
in the district of Saint-Maurice, in the canton of Valais, Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 6.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.8%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.4% of the area Out of the forested land, 42.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 20.8% is used for growing crops and 10.4% is pastures and 2.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Saint-Maurice district, on the left side of the Rhone
river. It consists of the village of Massongex and eight hamlets
including Daviaz.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Gules, three Towers Argent masoned, windowed and doored Sable.
Most of the population speaks French
(1,218 or 92.3%) as their first language, German
is the second most common (28 or 2.1%) and Italian
is the third (24 or 1.8%).
, the population was 50.2% male and 49.8% female. The population was made up of 641 Swiss men (42.0% of the population) and 125 (8.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 643 Swiss women (42.2%) and 116 (7.6%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 434 or about 32.9% were born in Massongex and lived there in 2000. There were 377 or 28.6% who were born in the same canton, while 291 or 22.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 186 or 14.1% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11.2%.
, there were 557 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 652 married individuals, 59 widows or widowers and 51 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 522 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. There were 157 households that consist of only one person and 39 households with five or more people. , a total of 490 apartments (76.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 130 apartments (20.3%) were seasonally occupied and 20 apartments (3.1%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 9.8 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.79%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
vicus
is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
.
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 40.12% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(19.34%), the SVP
(18.48%) and the SP
(15.21%). In the federal election, a total of 535 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 53.7%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
election a total of 484 votes were cast, of which 20 or about 4.1% were invalid. The voter participation was 47.8%, which is much less than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
election a total of 522 votes were cast, of which 30 or about 5.7% were invalid. The voter participation was 53.4%, which is much less than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 221. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 20, of which 19 were in agriculture and 1 was in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 97 of which 23 or (23.7%) were in manufacturing and 63 (64.9%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 104. In the tertiary sector; 14 or 13.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 1 was in the movement and storage of goods, 10 or 9.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 8 or 7.7% were in the information industry, 4 or 3.8% were the insurance or financial industry, 10 or 9.6% were in education and 36 or 34.6% were in health care.
, there were 139 workers who commuted into the municipality and 528 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 3.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 3.6% of the workforce coming into Massongex are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 8.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 73.7% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 5 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 0.38% of the population), and there were 24 individuals (or about 1.82% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 2 individuals (or about 0.15% of the population) who were Jewish
, and 43 (or about 3.26% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 68 (or about 5.16% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 37 individuals (or about 2.81% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 103 who completed tertiary schooling, 58.3% were Swiss men, 25.2% were Swiss women, 9.7% were non-Swiss men and 6.8% were non-Swiss women.
, there was one student in Massongex who came from another municipality, while 102 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Massongex is home to the Bibliothèque communale library. The library has 4,340 books or other media, and loaned out 3,671 items in the same year. It was open a total of 132 days with average of 6 hours per week during that year.
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 Saint-Maurice, in the canton of Valais, 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
Massongex has an area, , of 6.6 square kilometre. Of this area, 2.23 square kilometre or 33.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.12 square kilometre or 47.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1 square kilometre or 15.1% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.2 square kilometre or 3.0% is either rivers or lakes and 0.04 km² (9.9 acre) or 0.6% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 6.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.8%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.4% of the area Out of the forested land, 42.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 20.8% is used for growing crops and 10.4% is pastures and 2.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Saint-Maurice district, on the left side of the Rhone
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
river. It consists of the village of Massongex and eight 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...
including Daviaz.
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 Gules, three Towers Argent masoned, windowed and doored Sable.
Demographics
Massongex has a population of . , 16.4% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010 ) the population has changed at a rate of 2.6%. It has changed at a rate of 8.4% due to migration and at a rate of 4.8% 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...
(1,218 or 92.3%) 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 (28 or 2.1%) and 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...
is the third (24 or 1.8%).
, the population was 50.2% male and 49.8% female. The population was made up of 641 Swiss men (42.0% of the population) and 125 (8.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 643 Swiss women (42.2%) and 116 (7.6%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 434 or about 32.9% were born in Massongex and lived there in 2000. There were 377 or 28.6% who were born in the same canton, while 291 or 22.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 186 or 14.1% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11.2%.
, there were 557 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 652 married individuals, 59 widows or widowers and 51 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 522 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. There were 157 households that consist of only one person and 39 households with five or more people. , a total of 490 apartments (76.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 130 apartments (20.3%) were seasonally occupied and 20 apartments (3.1%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 9.8 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.79%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Heritage sites of national significance
The Tarnaiae, a celtic and gallo romanGallo-Roman culture
The term Gallo-Roman describes the Romanized culture of Gaul under the rule of the Roman Empire. This was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman mores and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context...
vicus
Vicus
Vicus may refer to:*Vicus , plural vici, a neighborhood or local administrative unit of ancient Rome**Vicus Tuscus in Rome**Vicus Jugarius, leading into the Roman Forum** Gensis in Moesia Superior...
is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
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 40.12% 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....
(19.34%), 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...
(18.48%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(15.21%). In the federal election, a total of 535 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 53.7%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
Conseil d'Etat (Switzerland)
In Switzerland, Conseil d'Etat is the name of the council constituting the cantonal government of French-speaking cantons. It is not to be confused with the Conseil des États which is a chamber of the Swiss parliament....
election a total of 484 votes were cast, of which 20 or about 4.1% were invalid. The voter participation was 47.8%, which is much less than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
Swiss Council of States election, 2007
Elections were held to the Council of States of Switzerland in October and November 2007 as part of the 2007 federal election. All 46 members of the Council of States were elected from all cantons of Switzerland. The first round was held on 21 October...
election a total of 522 votes were cast, of which 30 or about 5.7% were invalid. The voter participation was 53.4%, which is much less than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
Economy
, Massongex had an unemployment rate of 4.6%. , there were 27 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 102 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 21 businesses in this sector. 120 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 22 businesses in this sector. There were 628 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 39.2% 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 221. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 20, of which 19 were in agriculture and 1 was in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 97 of which 23 or (23.7%) were in manufacturing and 63 (64.9%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 104. In the tertiary sector; 14 or 13.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 1 was in the movement and storage of goods, 10 or 9.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 8 or 7.7% were in the information industry, 4 or 3.8% were the insurance or financial industry, 10 or 9.6% were in education and 36 or 34.6% were in health care.
, there were 139 workers who commuted into the municipality and 528 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 3.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 3.6% of the workforce coming into Massongex are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 8.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 73.7% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,010 or 76.6% were Roman Catholic, while 140 or 10.6% 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 were 5 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 0.38% of the population), and there were 24 individuals (or about 1.82% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 2 individuals (or about 0.15% of the population) who were Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 43 (or about 3.26% 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. There were 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 68 (or about 5.16% 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 37 individuals (or about 2.81% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Massongex about 477 or (36.2%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 103 or (7.8%) 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 103 who completed tertiary schooling, 58.3% were Swiss men, 25.2% were Swiss women, 9.7% were non-Swiss men and 6.8% were non-Swiss women.
, there was one student in Massongex who came from another municipality, while 102 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Massongex is home to the Bibliothèque communale library. The library has 4,340 books or other media, and loaned out 3,671 items in the same year. It was open a total of 132 days with average of 6 hours per week during that year.