Gossau, Zürich
Encyclopedia
Gossau is a municipality
in the district of Hinwil
in the canton
of Zürich in Switzerland
.
The municipality is made up of five sections; Gossau (with the church settlement of Berg), Bertschikon, Grüt, Herschmettlen and Ottikon. It stretches through the uppermost section of the Glatt valley
. The topography is littered with ice age
moraine
s (known as Drumlins) and basin of the former Gossauer Ried (Gossauer moor
).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 40.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CSP
(14.8%), the SPS
(14.4%) and the FDP
(10.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 26.5% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gossau about 82% 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 3442 households in Gossau.
Gossau has an unemployment rate of 1.38%. , there were 327 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 72 businesses involved in this sector. 922 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 99 businesses in this sector. 1045 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 243 businesses in this sector. 50% of the working population were employed full-time, and 50% were employed part-time.
there were 2458 Catholics
and 4523 Protestants
in Gossau. In the , religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the 2000 census, 56.4% were some type of Protestant, with 51.4% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
and 4.9% belonging to other Protestant churches. 25.5% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 2.9% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.2% did not give a religion, and 11.8% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
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 Hinwil
Hinwil (district)
Hinwil District is one of the twelve districts of the German-speaking canton of Zurich, Switzerland. It lies to the southeast of the canton, bordering the adjacent St. Gallen. Hinwil has a population of ; its capital is the town of Hinwil, located at the centre of the district.- Municipalities...
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....
.
Geography
Gossau has an area of 18.3 km² (7.1 sq mi). Of this area, 67% is used for agricultural purposes, while 14.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 17.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.8%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). housing and buildings made up 12% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (5.9%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0.4% of the area. 11.7% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.The municipality is made up of five sections; Gossau (with the church settlement of Berg), Bertschikon, Grüt, Herschmettlen and Ottikon. It stretches through the uppermost section of the Glatt valley
Glatt Valley
The Glatt Valley is a region and a river valley in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.- Geography :The River Glatt is a tributary of the River Rhine in the Zürcher Unterland area of the Canton of Zurich...
. The topography is littered with ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s (known as Drumlins) and basin of the former Gossauer Ried (Gossauer moor
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
).
Demographics
Gossau has a population (as of ) of . , 10.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. the gender distribution of the population was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 12.4%. Most of the population speaks German (92.4%), with Italian being second most common ( 2.0%) and Portuguese being third ( 1.2%).In the 2007 election 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 40.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(14.8%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(14.4%) 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....
(10.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 26.5% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gossau about 82% 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 3442 households in Gossau.
Gossau has an unemployment rate of 1.38%. , there were 327 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 72 businesses involved in this sector. 922 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 99 businesses in this sector. 1045 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 243 businesses in this sector. 50% of the working population were employed full-time, and 50% were employed part-time.
there were 2458 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 4523 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 Gossau. In the , religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the 2000 census, 56.4% were some type of Protestant, with 51.4% 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 4.9% belonging to other Protestant churches. 25.5% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 2.9% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.2% did not give a religion, and 11.8% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1634 | 875 |
| 1730 | 1,649 |
| 1850 | 3,089 |
| 1910 | 2,322 |
| 1941 | 2,387 |
| 1970 | 4,759 |
| 1990 | 7,157 |
| 2000 | 8,685 |