Wil
Encyclopedia
Wil is the capital of the Wahlkreis (constituency) of Wil
in the canton
of St. Gallen in Switzerland
.
Wil is the third largest city in the Canton of St. Gallen
, after the city of St. Gallen
and Rapperswil-Jona
, a twin city that merged in 2006.
In 1984, Wil was awarded the Wakker Prize
for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage.
The municipalities of Bronschhofen
and Wil are seeking approval from the voters to merge on 1 January 2013 into a new municipality which will be known as Wil.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Argent a Bear rampant Sable langued and in his virlity Gules and in sinister chief a letter W.
, 776 are from Italy
, 1,876 are from ex-Yugoslavia
, 135 are from Austria
, 309 are from Turkey
, and 578 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 8.4%. Most of the population speaks German (85.1%), with Albanian being second most common ( 4.5%) and Italian being third ( 3.0%). Of the Swiss national languages , 13,943 speak German
, 60 people speak French
, 488 people speak Italian
, and 26 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Wil is; 1,639 children or 10.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,836 teenagers or 11.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 2,286 people or 13.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 2,629 people or 16.0% are between 30 and 39, 2,314 people or 14.1% are between 40 and 49, and 2,022 people or 12.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,621 people or 9.9% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 1,268 people or 7.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 678 people or 4.1% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 98 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99, and 1 person who is 100 or more.
there were 2,829 persons (or 17.3% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 4,034 (or 24.6%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 7,421 (or 45.3%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 954 (or 5.8%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 79 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 90 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 174 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 811 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 31.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(21.9%), the SP
(14.9%) and the FDP
(12.5%).
In Wil about 69.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
). Out of the total population in Wil, , the highest education level completed by 3,538 people (21.6% of the population) was Primary, while 6,179 (37.7%) have completed their secondary education, 2,158 (13.2%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 818 (5.0%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The Baronenhaus at Marktgasse 73, the Dominican
Abbey of St. Katharina and the Hof (the former seat of the Prince-abbot
) are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance
.
The old city of Wil is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
-Winterthur
to St. Gallen
and connected with lines to Frauenfeld
, Weinfelden
-Konstanz
and Wattwil
- Nesslau (Toggenburg
) or Rapperswil
.
The city is close to the border with the Canton of Thurgau.
the average unemployment rate was 4.7%. There were 1099 businesses in the municipality of which 154 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 934 were involved in the third.
there were 3,873 residents who worked in the municipality, while 4,695 residents worked outside Wil and 6,368 people commuted into the municipality for work.
. Of the rest of the population, there are 6 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic
faith, there are 473 individuals (or about 2.89% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 265 individuals (or about 1.62% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 10 individuals (or about 0.06% of the population) who are Jewish
, and 1,433 (or about 8.74% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 116 individuals (or about 0.71% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 1,138 (or about 6.94% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 573 individuals (or about 3.50% of the population) did not answer the question.
Wil (Wahlkreis)
Wil is a district of the canton of St.Gallen, Switzerland. It is named after the regional centre Wil, which is the largest city of the district.However, the district capital is Jonschwil.-Demographics:District Wil has a population of...
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 St. Gallen 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....
.
Wil is the third largest city in the Canton of St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
, after the city of St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
and Rapperswil-Jona
Rapperswil-Jona
Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On...
, a twin city that merged in 2006.
In 1984, Wil was awarded the Wakker Prize
Wakker Prize
The Wakker Prize is awarded annually by the Swiss Heritage Society to a Municipality of Switzerland for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage....
for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage.
Geography
Wil has an area, , of 7.6 km² (2.9 sq mi). Of this area, 32.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 53.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.7%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).The municipalities of Bronschhofen
Bronschhofen
Bronschhofen is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Geography:Bronschhofen has an area, , of . Of this area, 65.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22.1% is forested...
and Wil are seeking approval from the voters to merge on 1 January 2013 into a new municipality which will be known as Wil.
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 Argent a Bear rampant Sable langued and in his virlity Gules and in sinister chief a letter W.
Demographics
Wil has a population (as of ) of . , about 25.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, , 272 are from GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 776 are from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 1,876 are from ex-Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, 135 are from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, 309 are from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and 578 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 8.4%. Most of the population speaks German (85.1%), with Albanian being second most common ( 4.5%) and Italian being third ( 3.0%). Of the Swiss national languages , 13,943 speak 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....
, 60 people speak 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...
, 488 people 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...
, and 26 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Wil is; 1,639 children or 10.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,836 teenagers or 11.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 2,286 people or 13.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 2,629 people or 16.0% are between 30 and 39, 2,314 people or 14.1% are between 40 and 49, and 2,022 people or 12.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,621 people or 9.9% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 1,268 people or 7.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 678 people or 4.1% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 98 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99, and 1 person who is 100 or more.
there were 2,829 persons (or 17.3% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 4,034 (or 24.6%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 7,421 (or 45.3%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 954 (or 5.8%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 79 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 90 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 174 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 811 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
In the 2007 federal election
Swiss 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 31.7% 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...
(21.9%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(14.9%) 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....
(12.5%).
In Wil about 69.2% 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...
). Out of the total population in Wil, , the highest education level completed by 3,538 people (21.6% of the population) was Primary, while 6,179 (37.7%) have completed their secondary education, 2,158 (13.2%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 818 (5.0%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
Heritage sites of national significance
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
Abbey of St. Katharina and the Hof (the former seat of the Prince-abbot
Prince-abbot
A Prince-Abbot is a title for a cleric who is a Prince of the Church , in the sense of an ex officio temporal lord of a feudal entity, notably a State of the Holy Roman Empire. The secular territory ruled by the head of an abbey is known as Prince-Abbacy or Abbey-principality...
) are listed as Swiss heritage sites 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...
.
The old city of Wil is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory 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:...
.
Transportation
It is a railway node, being located on the train line from ZürichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
-Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
to St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
and connected with lines to Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld is the capital of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Early history:The earliest trace of human settlement are several La Tène era graves to the east of Langdorf. The Roman road from Oberwinterthur to Pfyn ran through what is now the Allmend in Frauenfeld. Two Roman villas were...
, Weinfelden
Weinfelden
Weinfelden is a municipality in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is the capital of the district of the same name.Weinfelden is an old town, which was known during Roman times as Quivelda .-History:...
-Konstanz
Konstanz
Konstanz is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz.-Location:...
and Wattwil
Wattwil
Wattwil is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Geography:Wattwil has an area, , of . Of this area, 52.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 37.3% is forested...
- Nesslau (Toggenburg
Toggenburg
Toggenburg is the name given to the upper valley of the Thur River, in the Swiss Canton of St. Gallen. Currently, it is one of the eight constituencies into which the canton is divided....
) or Rapperswil
Rapperswil
Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On...
.
The city is close to the border with the Canton of Thurgau.
Economy
, Wil had an unemployment rate of 2.87%. , there were 82 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 19 businesses involved in this sector. 2,454 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 177 businesses in this sector. 8,025 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 934 businesses in this sector.the average unemployment rate was 4.7%. There were 1099 businesses in the municipality of which 154 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 934 were involved in the third.
there were 3,873 residents who worked in the municipality, while 4,695 residents worked outside Wil and 6,368 people commuted into the municipality for work.
Religion
From the , 8,817 or 53.8% are Roman Catholic, while 3,561 or 21.7% 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 are 6 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic
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...
faith, there are 473 individuals (or about 2.89% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 265 individuals (or about 1.62% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 10 individuals (or about 0.06% of the population) who are Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 1,433 (or about 8.74% of the population) who are Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There are 116 individuals (or about 0.71% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 1,138 (or about 6.94% of the population) belong 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 573 individuals (or about 3.50% of the population) did not answer the question.
External links
- http://www.stadtwil.ch
- Wilnet - Stadtlexikon der Stadt Wil city encyclopedia