Zumikon
Encyclopedia
Zumikon is a municipality
in the district of Meilen
in the canton
of Zürich in Switzerland
. It is located in the Pfannenstiel
region.
named Zuminga. At the start of the 17th century, the population was just 100, and most of these were farmers. Until 1707, Zumikon was a separate municipality, and the integral part of Waltikon was independent too, along with Gössikon. This lasted until 1804. In the early 20th century, Zumikon remained a farm village claiming only 587 inhabitants in 1900. The Waltikon area was practically unbuilt territory.
The community centre (Gemeinschaftszentrum) was built in 1980, and that was when modern Zumikon took its form. The mayor of Zumikon at that time was Elisabeth Kopp
who was to become the first female Swiss federal councillor in 1984. Zumikon is now a small town, consisting of mostly wealthy residents instead of farmers. Important schools—such as the Farlifang School and the Inter-Community School Zürich
—are in the area. The town centre is the Dorfplatz (literally "town square"), which consists of an upper section inaccessible to motor vehicles.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the FDP
which received 34.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(30.1%), the SPS
(11.1%) and the CSP
(8.9%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19%. In Zumikon about 85.3% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
). There are 2050 households in Zumikon.
Zumikon has an unemployment rate of 1.46%. , there were 6 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 3 businesses involved in this sector. 246 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 42 businesses in this sector. 1085 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 218 businesses in this sector. 33.3% of the working population were employed full-time, and 66.7% were employed part-time.
there were 1235 Catholics
and 2001 Protestants
in Zumikon. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 50.2% were some type of Protestant, with 48% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
and 2.2% belonging to other Protestant churches. 26.3% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 4.5% belonged to another religion (not listed), 2.8% did not give a religion, and 15.3% were atheist or agnostic.
narrow-gauge railway connects to both Waltikon and Zumikon. A tunnel was built in 1974 to spare Zumikon its noise. Zumikon is also the starting point of the A52
road. Zumikon has a high percentage of expatriates from around the world, drawn by its easy commute to Zurich (15 minutes) and the International School.
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 Meilen
Meilen (district)
Meilen District is one of the twelve districts of the German-speaking canton of Zurich, Switzerland. It lies to the south of the canton in the Pfannenstiel region, forming much of the northern shore of Lake Zurich. The district capital is the town of Meilen....
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 Zürich 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....
. It is located in the Pfannenstiel
Pfannenstiel (Zürich)
Pfannenstiel is a wooded mountain respectively a region overlooking the Lake Zürich and Zürcher Oberland in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.- Geography :...
region.
History
The source of the name Zumikon originated in the year 946 AD, from a hamletHamlet (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...
named Zuminga. At the start of the 17th century, the population was just 100, and most of these were farmers. Until 1707, Zumikon was a separate municipality, and the integral part of Waltikon was independent too, along with Gössikon. This lasted until 1804. In the early 20th century, Zumikon remained a farm village claiming only 587 inhabitants in 1900. The Waltikon area was practically unbuilt territory.
The community centre (Gemeinschaftszentrum) was built in 1980, and that was when modern Zumikon took its form. The mayor of Zumikon at that time was Elisabeth Kopp
Elisabeth Kopp
Elisabeth Kopp is a Swiss politician and the first woman elected to the Swiss Federal Council .Elisabeth Kopp grew up in Bern. After finishing her law studies in 1960 she married Hans W. Kopp...
who was to become the first female Swiss federal councillor in 1984. Zumikon is now a small town, consisting of mostly wealthy residents instead of farmers. Important schools—such as the Farlifang School and the Inter-Community School Zürich
Inter-Community School Zürich
The Inter-Community School Zürich is a private, independent, international, co-educational day school and offers a comprehensive educational programme in English for children from ages of 3 to 18. The school is international in character and welcomes students of all nationalities...
—are in the area. The town centre is the Dorfplatz (literally "town square"), which consists of an upper section inaccessible to motor vehicles.
Geography
Zumikon has an area of 5.5 km² (2.1 sq mi). Of this area, 32% is used for agricultural purposes, while 29.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 38.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). housing and buildings made up 31.8% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (7.4%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0% of the area. 31.7% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.Demographics
Zumikon has a population (as of ) of . , 19.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. the gender distribution of the population was 47% male and 53% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 8.1%. Most of the population speaks German (85.0%), with English being second most common ( 4.0%) and Italian being third ( 3.2%).In the 2007 election the most popular party was 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....
which received 34.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(30.1%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(11.1%) and the CSP
Christian Social Party (Switzerland)
The Christian Social Party is a political party in Switzerland. The CSP is more social democratic than the CVP. With the moderate Christian left as its background, the CSP commits itself to social democratic and environmentalist political solutions...
(8.9%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19%. In Zumikon about 85.3% 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...
). There are 2050 households in Zumikon.
Zumikon has an unemployment rate of 1.46%. , there were 6 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 3 businesses involved in this sector. 246 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 42 businesses in this sector. 1085 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 218 businesses in this sector. 33.3% of the working population were employed full-time, and 66.7% were employed part-time.
there were 1235 Catholics
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and 2001 Protestants
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in Zumikon. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 50.2% were some type of Protestant, with 48% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
Swiss 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...
and 2.2% belonging to other Protestant churches. 26.3% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 4.5% belonged to another religion (not listed), 2.8% did not give a religion, and 15.3% were atheist or agnostic.
Transportation
The ForchbahnForchbahn
The Forchbahn is a gauge narrow-gauge light railway in the canton of Zürich, linking central Zürich to the eastern suburbs near Esslingen via Forch. The name is often abbreviated to just FB, which also appears on the trains...
narrow-gauge railway connects to both Waltikon and Zumikon. A tunnel was built in 1974 to spare Zumikon its noise. Zumikon is also the starting point of the A52
A52 (Switzerland)
The A52 is a main road connecting Zumikon in the canton of Zürich with Hinwil and Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St. Gallen.- Route :...
road. Zumikon has a high percentage of expatriates from around the world, drawn by its easy commute to Zurich (15 minutes) and the International School.