Wahlen
Encyclopedia
Wahlen is a municipality
in the district of Laufen
in the canton
of Basel-Country
in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 7.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.0%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.5% of the area Out of the forested land, 31.2% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 27.9% is used for growing crops and 23.6% is pastures, while 3.9% is used for orchards or vine crops.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Gules, a Lion rampant Or queued fourchy holding in the front paws a Crozier Argent.
Most of the population speaks German
(1,197 or 96.5%), with French
being second most common (9 or 0.7%) and Italian language
being third (8 or 0.6%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.5% male and 49.5% female. The population was made up of 1,249 Swiss citizens (92.3% of the population), and 104 non-Swiss residents (7.7%) Of the population in the municipality 500 or about 40.3% were born in Wahlen and lived there in 2000. There were 245 or 19.8% who were born in the same canton, while 349 or 28.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 83 or 6.7% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 15 live births to Swiss citizens and 2 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 4 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 11 while the foreign population increased by 2. There were 2 non-Swiss women 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 3 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 4 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.5%.
The age distribution, , in Wahlen is; 80 children or 5.9% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 223 teenagers or 16.5% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 155 people or 11.5% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 163 people or 12.0% are between 30 and 39, 255 people or 18.8% are between 40 and 49, and 283 people or 20.9% are between 50 and 64. The senior population distribution is 131 people or 9.7% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 63 people or 4.7% who are over 80.
, there were 512 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 629 married individuals, 68 widows or widowers and 31 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.6 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 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 70.8% 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 465 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 86 households that consist of only one person and 36 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 471 households that answered this question, 18.3% were households made up of just one person and 12 were adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 147 married couples without children, 188 married couples with children There were 24 single parents with a child or children. There were 8 households that were made up unrelated people and 6 households that were made some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 278 single family homes (or 76.0% of the total) out of a total of 366 inhabited buildings. There were 42 multi-family buildings (11.5%), along with 38 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (10.4%) and 8 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.2%). Of the single family homes 16 were built before 1919, while 70 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (52) were built between 1946 and 1960.
there were 488 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 167. There were 10 single room apartments and 201 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 455 apartments (93.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 23 apartments (4.7%) were seasonally occupied and 10 apartments (2.0%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 4.4 new units per 1000 residents. the average price to rent a two room apartment was about 914.00 CHF (US$730, £410, €580), a three room apartment was about 1017.00 CHF (US$810, £460, €650) and a four room apartment cost an average of 1302.00 CHF (US$1040, £590, €830). The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 32.27% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(28.93%), the FDP
(20.58%) and the SP
(9.7%). In the federal election, a total of 429 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 42.6%.
the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 89. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 27, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 31, of which 8 or (25.8%) were in manufacturing and 23 (74.2%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 31. In the tertiary sector; 8 or 25.8% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 3 or 9.7% were in the movement and storage of goods, 3 or 9.7% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 or 3.2% were in the information industry, 3 or 9.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 7 or 22.6% were in education.
, there were 49 workers who commuted into the municipality and 535 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 10.9 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 19% used public transportation to get to work, and 51.5% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 4 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 0.32% of the population), there were 9 individuals (or about 0.73% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church
, and there were 28 individuals (or about 2.26% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 14 (or about 1.13% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 2 individuals who were Buddhist
and 4 individuals who were Hindu
. 85 (or about 6.85% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 44 individuals (or about 3.55% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 111 who completed tertiary schooling, 76.6% were Swiss men, 17.1% were Swiss women. , there were 4 students in Wahlen who came from another municipality, while 80 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 Laufen
Laufen (district)
Laufen District or Laufental District is one of the five districts of the largely German-speaking canton of Basel-Country, Switzerland. Its capital is the town of Laufen....
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 Basel-Country
Basel-Country
Basel-Landschaft , is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. The capital is Liestal...
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
Wahlen has an area, , of 5.42 square kilometres (2.1 sq mi). Of this area, 3 km² (1.2 sq mi) or 55.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.82 km² (0.702705928638414 sq mi) or 33.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.61 km² (0.235522316741446 sq mi) or 11.3% is settled (buildings or roads).Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 7.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.0%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.5% of the area Out of the forested land, 31.2% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 27.9% is used for growing crops and 23.6% is pastures, while 3.9% is used for orchards or vine crops.
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, a Lion rampant Or queued fourchy holding in the front paws a Crozier Argent.
Demographics
Wahlen has a population of . , 6.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 19.2%.Most of the population speaks 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....
(1,197 or 96.5%), with 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...
being second most common (9 or 0.7%) and Italian language
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...
being third (8 or 0.6%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.5% male and 49.5% female. The population was made up of 1,249 Swiss citizens (92.3% of the population), and 104 non-Swiss residents (7.7%) Of the population in the municipality 500 or about 40.3% were born in Wahlen and lived there in 2000. There were 245 or 19.8% who were born in the same canton, while 349 or 28.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 83 or 6.7% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 15 live births to Swiss citizens and 2 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 4 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 11 while the foreign population increased by 2. There were 2 non-Swiss women 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 3 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 4 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.5%.
The age distribution, , in Wahlen is; 80 children or 5.9% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 223 teenagers or 16.5% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 155 people or 11.5% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 163 people or 12.0% are between 30 and 39, 255 people or 18.8% are between 40 and 49, and 283 people or 20.9% are between 50 and 64. The senior population distribution is 131 people or 9.7% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 63 people or 4.7% who are over 80.
, there were 512 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 629 married individuals, 68 widows or widowers and 31 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.6 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 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 70.8% 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 465 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 86 households that consist of only one person and 36 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 471 households that answered this question, 18.3% were households made up of just one person and 12 were adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 147 married couples without children, 188 married couples with children There were 24 single parents with a child or children. There were 8 households that were made up unrelated people and 6 households that were made some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 278 single family homes (or 76.0% of the total) out of a total of 366 inhabited buildings. There were 42 multi-family buildings (11.5%), along with 38 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (10.4%) and 8 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.2%). Of the single family homes 16 were built before 1919, while 70 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (52) were built between 1946 and 1960.
there were 488 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 167. There were 10 single room apartments and 201 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 455 apartments (93.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 23 apartments (4.7%) were seasonally occupied and 10 apartments (2.0%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 4.4 new units per 1000 residents. the average price to rent a two room apartment was about 914.00 CHF (US$730, £410, €580), a three room apartment was about 1017.00 CHF (US$810, £460, €650) and a four room apartment cost an average of 1302.00 CHF (US$1040, £590, €830). The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%.
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 32.27% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(28.93%), 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....
(20.58%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(9.7%). In the federal election, a total of 429 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 42.6%.
Economy
, Wahlen had an unemployment rate of 1.44%. , there were 45 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 15 businesses involved in this sector. 43 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 10 businesses in this sector. 54 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 15 businesses in this sector. There were 633 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 38.1% of the workforce.the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 89. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 27, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 31, of which 8 or (25.8%) were in manufacturing and 23 (74.2%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 31. In the tertiary sector; 8 or 25.8% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 3 or 9.7% were in the movement and storage of goods, 3 or 9.7% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 or 3.2% were in the information industry, 3 or 9.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 7 or 22.6% were in education.
, there were 49 workers who commuted into the municipality and 535 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 10.9 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 19% used public transportation to get to work, and 51.5% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 863 or 69.6% were Roman Catholic, while 187 or 15.1% 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 4 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 0.32% of the population), there were 9 individuals (or about 0.73% 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 28 individuals (or about 2.26% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 14 (or about 1.13% 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 4 individuals who were Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. 85 (or about 6.85% 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 44 individuals (or about 3.55% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Wahlen about 441 or (35.6%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 111 or (9.0%) 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 111 who completed tertiary schooling, 76.6% were Swiss men, 17.1% were Swiss women. , there were 4 students in Wahlen who came from another municipality, while 80 residents attended schools outside the municipality.