Les Agettes
Encyclopedia
Les Agettes is a municipality
in the district of Hérens
in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 6.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.5%. Out of the forested land, 61.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 6.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 0.0% is used for growing crops and 11.4% is pastures and 7.7% is used for alpine pastures.
The municipality is located in the Hérens district, on the slopes south of Sion
and above the Rhone
valley. It is composed of three small villages: Crête-à-l'Œil, La Vernaz, and Les Agettes, which range in altitude between 980 and 1200 m (3,215.2 and 3,937 ft) as well as scattered alpine pastures and the vacation resort of Mayens de l'Ours (built in 1982).
of the municipal coat of arms
is Per pale Argent a Crosier issuant and a Sword inverted in saltire in chief a Mullet of Five all Gules and Azure a Tower Argent masoned, windowed and doored Sable, overall a base Vert.
Most of the population speaks French
(257 or 95.2%) as their first language, German
is the second most common (8 or 3.0%) and Italian
is the third (3 or 1.1%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.4% male and 50.6% female. The population was made up of 155 Swiss men (44.8% of the population) and 16 (4.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 149 Swiss women (43.1%) and 26 (7.5%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 104 or about 38.5% were born in Les Agettes and lived there in 2000. There were 82 or 30.4% who were born in the same canton, while 51 or 18.9% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 26 or 9.6% were born outside of Switzerland.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.1%.
, there were 103 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 139 married individuals, 20 widows or widowers and 8 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.58 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.63 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 81.9% 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 112 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. There were 39 households that consist of only one person and 10 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 116 households that answered this question, 33.6% were households made up of just one person and there was 1 adult who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 32 married couples without children, 33 married couples with children There were 6 single parents with a child or children. There was 1 household that was made up of unrelated people and 4 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 239 single family homes (or 78.6% of the total) out of a total of 304 inhabited buildings. There were 37 multi-family buildings (12.2%), along with 21 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (6.9%) and 7 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.3%).
, a total of 105 apartments (25.9% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 268 apartments (66.2%) were seasonally occupied and 32 apartments (7.9%) were empty. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.47%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 43.54% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(21.11%), the SVP
(15.36%) and the FDP
(6.69%). In the federal election, a total of 159 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 65.7%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 18. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 6, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 4 of which 2 or (50.0%) were in manufacturing and 2 (50.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 8. In the tertiary sector; 2 or 25.0% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 1 was in a hotel or restaurant, 4 or 50.0% were in education.
, there were 9 workers who commuted into the municipality and 118 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 13.1 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 11.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 78.7% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 member of an Orthodox church
. 16 (or about 5.93% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 13 individuals (or about 4.81% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 38 who completed tertiary schooling, 60.5% were Swiss men, 23.7% were Swiss women.
, there were 23 students from Les Agettes who 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 Hérens
Hérens (district)
The district of Hérens is a district in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:Except for the municipality of Ayent, which lies on the north bank of the Rhône, the municipalities of Hérens are located in the Val d'Hérens on the south bank of the...
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 Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
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
Les Agettes has an area, , of 5.1 square kilometre. Of this area, 1.02 square kilometre or 20.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.45 square kilometre or 67.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.55 square kilometre or 10.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and 0.05 km² (12.4 acre) or 1.0% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 6.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.5%. Out of the forested land, 61.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 6.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 0.0% is used for growing crops and 11.4% is pastures and 7.7% is used for alpine pastures.
The municipality is located in the Hérens district, on the slopes south of Sion
Sion, Switzerland
Sion is the capital of the Swiss canton of Valais. it had a population of .Landmarks include the Basilique de Valère and Château de Tourbillon. Sion has an airfield for civilian and military use, which, because of its location in a valley, causes a reasonable amount of noise pollution. FC Sion...
and above 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...
valley. It is composed of three small villages: Crête-à-l'Œil, La Vernaz, and Les Agettes, which range in altitude between 980 and 1200 m (3,215.2 and 3,937 ft) as well as scattered alpine pastures and the vacation resort of Mayens de l'Ours (built in 1982).
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 Per pale Argent a Crosier issuant and a Sword inverted in saltire in chief a Mullet of Five all Gules and Azure a Tower Argent masoned, windowed and doored Sable, overall a base Vert.
Demographics
Les Agettes has a population of . , 10.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of 28.1%. It has changed at a rate of 24.1% due to migration and at a rate of 4.4% 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...
(257 or 95.2%) 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 (8 or 3.0%) 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 (3 or 1.1%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.4% male and 50.6% female. The population was made up of 155 Swiss men (44.8% of the population) and 16 (4.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 149 Swiss women (43.1%) and 26 (7.5%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 104 or about 38.5% were born in Les Agettes and lived there in 2000. There were 82 or 30.4% who were born in the same canton, while 51 or 18.9% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 26 or 9.6% were born outside of Switzerland.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.1%.
, there were 103 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 139 married individuals, 20 widows or widowers and 8 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.58 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.63 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 81.9% 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 112 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. There were 39 households that consist of only one person and 10 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 116 households that answered this question, 33.6% were households made up of just one person and there was 1 adult who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 32 married couples without children, 33 married couples with children There were 6 single parents with a child or children. There was 1 household that was made up of unrelated people and 4 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 239 single family homes (or 78.6% of the total) out of a total of 304 inhabited buildings. There were 37 multi-family buildings (12.2%), along with 21 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (6.9%) and 7 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.3%).
, a total of 105 apartments (25.9% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 268 apartments (66.2%) were seasonally occupied and 32 apartments (7.9%) were empty. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.47%.
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 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 43.54% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(21.11%), 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...
(15.36%) 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....
(6.69%). In the federal election, a total of 159 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 65.7%.
Economy
, Les Agettes had an unemployment rate of 6.7%. , there were 14 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 10 businesses involved in this sector. 4 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 4 businesses in this sector. 11 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 5 businesses in this sector. There were 136 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 40.4% 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 18. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 6, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 4 of which 2 or (50.0%) were in manufacturing and 2 (50.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 8. In the tertiary sector; 2 or 25.0% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 1 was in a hotel or restaurant, 4 or 50.0% were in education.
, there were 9 workers who commuted into the municipality and 118 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 13.1 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 11.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 78.7% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 231 or 85.6% were Roman Catholic, while 9 or 3.3% 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 was 1 member of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
. 16 (or about 5.93% 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 13 individuals (or about 4.81% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Les Agettes about 101 or (37.4%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 38 or (14.1%) 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 38 who completed tertiary schooling, 60.5% were Swiss men, 23.7% were Swiss women.
, there were 23 students from Les Agettes who attended schools outside the municipality.