Saint-Blaise, Neuchâtel
Encyclopedia
Saint-Blaise is a municipality
in the district of Neuchâtel
in the canton
of Neuchâtel in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 6.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.5%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.0% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 7.2%. Out of the forested land, 50.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 15.2% is used for growing crops and 6.7% is pastures, while 4.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
The municipality is located in the Neuchâtel district, at the foot of the Chaumont and along Lake Neuchatel
.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Impalled, dexter Gules Saint Blasius clad Argent adorned Or holding a Crosier Or and a Comb Sable, and sinister per fess Azure a Cross Or and Argent a Mill Wheel Sable.
Most of the population speaks French
(2,573 or 82.5%) as their first language, German
is the second most common (243 or 7.8%) and Italian
is the third (109 or 3.5%). There are 3 people who speak Romansh.
, the population was 49.1% male and 50.9% female. The population was made up of 1,211 Swiss men (38.6% of the population) and 329 (10.5%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,348 Swiss women (42.9%) and 251 (8.0%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 606 or about 19.4% were born in Saint-Blaise and lived there in 2000. There were 932 or 29.9% who were born in the same canton, while 769 or 24.7% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 722 or 23.2% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 21.7% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 61.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.3%.
, there were 1,132 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 1,616 married individuals, 184 widows or widowers and 185 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 1,337 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. There were 405 households that consist of only one person and 55 households with five or more people. , a total of 1,304 apartments (91.1% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 100 apartments (7.0%) were seasonally occupied and 27 apartments (1.9%) were empty. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.41%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the SP
which received 23.54% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the LPS Party
(19.47%), the SVP
(18.63%) and the FDP
(18.4%). In the federal election, a total of 1,173 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 57.0%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 1,099. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 20, of which 15 were in agriculture and 5 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 345 of which 223 or (64.6%) were in manufacturing, 4 or (1.2%) were in mining and 118 (34.2%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 734. In the tertiary sector; 323 or 44.0% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 14 or 1.9% were in the movement and storage of goods, 47 or 6.4% were in a hotel or restaurant, 20 or 2.7% were in the information industry, 20 or 2.7% were the insurance or financial industry, 66 or 9.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 57 or 7.8% were in education and 100 or 13.6% were in health care.
, there were 993 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,252 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 1.3 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 1.4% of the workforce coming into Saint-Blaise are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 21.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 61.9% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 15 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 0.48% of the population), there were 6 individuals (or about 0.19% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church
, and there were 124 individuals (or about 3.98% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 7 individuals (or about 0.22% of the population) who were Jewish
, and 40 (or about 1.28% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 2 individuals who were Buddhist
and 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 656 (or about 21.05% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 119 individuals (or about 3.82% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 629 who completed tertiary schooling, 51.8% were Swiss men, 27.8% were Swiss women, 13.5% were non-Swiss men and 6.8% were non-Swiss women.
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. The kindergarten in Saint-Blaise is combined with Enges
. During the 2010-11 school year, there were 3 kindergarten classes with a total of 64 students between the municipalities. In the same year, there were 9 primary classes with a total of 167 students.
, there were 143 students in Saint-Blaise who came from another municipality, while 220 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 Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel (district)
Neuchâtel District is one of the six districts of the largely French-speaking canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, lying in the Le Littoral Region. The district capital is the town of Neuchâtel...
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....
.
History
Saint-Blaise is first mentioned in 1011 as Arins. In 1209 it was mentioned as Sanctus Blasus. The municipality was formerly known by its German name St Blasien, however, that name is no longer used.Geography
Saint-Blaise has an area, , of 8.9 square kilometre. Of this area, 2.31 square kilometre or 26.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 4.65 square kilometre or 52.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.85 square kilometre or 20.9% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.05 km² (12.4 acre) or 0.6% is either rivers or lakes and 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 0.2% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 6.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.5%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.0% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 7.2%. Out of the forested land, 50.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 15.2% is used for growing crops and 6.7% is pastures, while 4.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
The municipality is located in the Neuchâtel district, at the foot of the Chaumont and along Lake Neuchatel
Lake Neuchâtel
Lake Neuchâtel is a lake in Romandy, Switzerland . The lake lies mainly in the canton of Neuchâtel, but is also shared by the cantons of Vaud, of Fribourg, and of Bern....
.
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 Impalled, dexter Gules Saint Blasius clad Argent adorned Or holding a Crosier Or and a Comb Sable, and sinister per fess Azure a Cross Or and Argent a Mill Wheel Sable.
Demographics
Saint-Blaise has a population of . , 19.8% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 0.4%. It has changed at a rate of -4.6% due to migration and at a rate of 3.1% 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...
(2,573 or 82.5%) 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 (243 or 7.8%) 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 (109 or 3.5%). There are 3 people who speak Romansh.
, the population was 49.1% male and 50.9% female. The population was made up of 1,211 Swiss men (38.6% of the population) and 329 (10.5%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,348 Swiss women (42.9%) and 251 (8.0%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 606 or about 19.4% were born in Saint-Blaise and lived there in 2000. There were 932 or 29.9% who were born in the same canton, while 769 or 24.7% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 722 or 23.2% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 21.7% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 61.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.3%.
, there were 1,132 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 1,616 married individuals, 184 widows or widowers and 185 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 1,337 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. There were 405 households that consist of only one person and 55 households with five or more people. , a total of 1,304 apartments (91.1% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 100 apartments (7.0%) were seasonally occupied and 27 apartments (1.9%) were empty. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.41%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Sights
The entire urban village of Saint-Blaise is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage SitesInventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
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 SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 23.54% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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....
(19.47%), 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...
(18.63%) 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....
(18.4%). In the federal election, a total of 1,173 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 57.0%.
Economy
, Saint-Blaise had an unemployment rate of 4.2%. , there were 28 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 9 businesses involved in this sector. 375 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 38 businesses in this sector. 898 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 143 businesses in this sector. There were 1,577 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 44.4% 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 1,099. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 20, of which 15 were in agriculture and 5 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 345 of which 223 or (64.6%) were in manufacturing, 4 or (1.2%) were in mining and 118 (34.2%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 734. In the tertiary sector; 323 or 44.0% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 14 or 1.9% were in the movement and storage of goods, 47 or 6.4% were in a hotel or restaurant, 20 or 2.7% were in the information industry, 20 or 2.7% were the insurance or financial industry, 66 or 9.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 57 or 7.8% were in education and 100 or 13.6% were in health care.
, there were 993 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,252 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 1.3 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 1.4% of the workforce coming into Saint-Blaise are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 21.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 61.9% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 972 or 31.2% were Roman Catholic, while 1,234 or 39.6% 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 15 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 0.48% of the population), there were 6 individuals (or about 0.19% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church
Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
, and there were 124 individuals (or about 3.98% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 7 individuals (or about 0.22% of the population) who were Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 40 (or about 1.28% 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 were Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 656 (or about 21.05% 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 119 individuals (or about 3.82% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Saint-Blaise about 1,150 or (36.9%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 629 or (20.2%) 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 629 who completed tertiary schooling, 51.8% were Swiss men, 27.8% were Swiss women, 13.5% were non-Swiss men and 6.8% were non-Swiss women.
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. The kindergarten in Saint-Blaise is combined with Enges
Enges
Enges is a municipality in the district of Neuchâtel in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel.-Geography:Enges has an area, , of . Of this area, or 45.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 51.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 2.2% is settled .Of the built up area, housing and...
. During the 2010-11 school year, there were 3 kindergarten classes with a total of 64 students between the municipalities. In the same year, there were 9 primary classes with a total of 167 students.
, there were 143 students in Saint-Blaise who came from another municipality, while 220 residents attended schools outside the municipality.