La Ferrière, Switzerland
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| La Ferrière | ||||||||||
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| Population | 542 (December 2007[update]) | |||||||||
| - Density | 38 /km2 (99 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 14.23 km2 (5.49 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 1,005 m (3,297 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 2333 | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Renan, Sonvilier, Les Bois, La Chaux-de-Fonds | |||||||||
| Website | www.laferriere.ch | |||||||||
  La Ferrière
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La Ferrière is a municipality in the district of Courtelary in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (Jura Bernois).
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[edit] History
Founded in 1590 as les Hautes Montagnes d'Erguël by settlers from Valangin. In 1749 it was known as La Ferriere or Communauté des Montagnes de Saint-Imier.[1]
[edit] Geography
La Ferrière has an area of 14.2 square kilometers (5.5 sq mi). Of this area, 61.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 34.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.6%) is non-productive (rivers or glaciers).[2]
[edit] Demographics
La Ferrière has a population (as of 2007[update]) of 542, of which 5.9% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7.1%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks French (81.5%), with German being second most common (16.6%) and Italian being third ( 1.0%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 31.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (16.9%), the Green Party (15.8%) and the FDP (10.3%).
The age distribution of the population (as of 2000[update]) is children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 31.2% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 56.1% and the seniors (over 64 years old) make up 12.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In La Ferrière about 70.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).
La Ferrière has an unemployment rate of 2.77%. As of 2005[update], there were 101 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 37 businesses involved in this sector. 107 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 9 businesses in this sector. 45 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 14 businesses in this sector.[2] The historical population is given in the following table:[1]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1813 | 654 |
| 1850 | 796 |
| 1870 | 1,0 |
| 1900 | 723 |
| 1950 | 554 |
| 2000 | 513 |
[edit] External links
- La Ferrière, Switzerland in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
[edit] References
- ^ a b La Ferrière in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 04-Jun-2009
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