Ried-Brig
Encyclopedia
Ried-Brig is a municipality
in the district of Brig in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
.
Ried-Brig has an area, , of 47.5 square kilometre. Of this area, 19.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and 47.6% is unproductive land.
The municipality is located in the Brig district, above Brig
and on the Simplon Pass
road.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Argent, issuant from Coupeaux Vert three Pine-trees Vert trunked proper.
Most of the population speaks German
(1,519 or 96.0%) as their first language, French
is the second most common (21 or 1.3%) and Italian
is the third (13 or 0.8%). There is 1 person who speaks Romansh.
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.6% male and 49.4% female. The population was made up of 833 Swiss men (47.5% of the population) and 54 (3.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 818 Swiss women (46.7%) and 48 (2.7%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 701 or about 44.3% were born in Ried-Brig and lived there in 2000. There were 578 or 36.5% who were born in the same canton, while 192 or 12.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 87 or 5.5% were born outside of Switzerland. The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 29.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 9.7%.
, there were 707 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 778 married individuals, 63 widows or widowers and 34 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.62 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 78.1% 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 562 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.7 persons per household. There were 121 households that consist of only one person and 64 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 568 households that answered this question, 21.3% were households made up of just one person and there were 7 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 147 married couples without children, 254 married couples with children There were 29 single parents with a child or children. There were 4 households that were made up of unrelated people and 6 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 294 single family homes (or 67.0% of the total) out of a total of 439 inhabited buildings. There were 114 multi-family buildings (26.0%), along with 12 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (2.7%) and 19 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (4.3%).
, a total of 538 apartments (78.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 136 apartments (19.8%) were seasonally occupied and 14 apartments (2.0%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 12.5 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.67%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 65.45% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(14.89%), the SVP
(13.08%) and the FDP
(4.1%). In the federal election, a total of 911 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 65.3%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
election a total of 887 votes were cast, of which 49 or about 5.5% were invalid. The voter participation was 65.3%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
election a total of 909 votes were cast, of which 25 or about 2.8% were invalid. The voter participation was 65.5%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 234. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 40, of which 29 were in agriculture and 11 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 70 of which 21 or (30.0%) were in manufacturing and 49 (70.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 124. In the tertiary sector; 15 or 12.1% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 13 or 10.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 30 or 24.2% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was in the information industry, 4 or 3.2% were the insurance or financial industry, 3 or 2.4% were technical professionals or scientists, 7 or 5.6% were in education and 38 or 30.6% were in health care.
, there were 75 workers who commuted into the municipality and 598 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 8.0 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 5.3% of the workforce coming into Ried-Brig are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 25.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 59.1% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 6 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 0.38% of the population), and there were 27 individuals (or about 1.71% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 7 (or about 0.44% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There was 1 person who was Buddhist
. 44 (or about 2.78% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 34 individuals (or about 2.15% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 165 who completed tertiary schooling, 72.1% were Swiss men, 18.2% were Swiss women, 5.5% were non-Swiss men and 4.2% were non-Swiss women.
During the 2010-2011 school year there were a total of 155 students in the Ried-Brig school system. The education system
in the Canton of Valais allows young children to attend one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten
. During that school year, there 2 kindergarten classes (KG1 or KG2) and 37 kindergarten students. The canton's school system requires students to attend six years of primary school. In Ried-Brig there were a total of 8 classes and 155 students in the primary school. The secondary school
program consists of three lower, obligatory years of schooling (orientation classes), followed by three to five years of optional, advanced schools. All the lower secondary students from Ried-Brig attend their school in a neighboring municipality. All the upper secondary students attended school in another municipality.
, there were 8 students in Ried-Brig who came from another municipality, while 149 residents 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 Brig 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....
.
History
Ried-Brig is first mentioned in 1232 as Riet. In 1428 it was mentioned as ried de briga. Until 1993 it was officially known as Ried bei Brig.Geography
The municipality is located in the Brig district, above Brig
Brig, Switzerland
Brig, officially Brig-Glis is a municipality in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.The current municipality was formed in 1972 through the merger of Brig , Brigerbad and Glis.-History:...
and on the Simplon Pass
Simplon Pass
Simplon Pass is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig in the canton of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont . The pass itself and the villages on each side of it, such as Gondo, are in Switzerland...
road.
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, issuant from Coupeaux Vert three Pine-trees Vert trunked proper.
Demographics
Ried-Brig has a population of . , 6.1% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of 3.4%. It has changed at a rate of 5.3% due to migration and at a rate of 3.8% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks 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....
(1,519 or 96.0%) as their first language, 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...
is the second most common (21 or 1.3%) 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 (13 or 0.8%). There is 1 person who speaks Romansh.
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.6% male and 49.4% female. The population was made up of 833 Swiss men (47.5% of the population) and 54 (3.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 818 Swiss women (46.7%) and 48 (2.7%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 701 or about 44.3% were born in Ried-Brig and lived there in 2000. There were 578 or 36.5% who were born in the same canton, while 192 or 12.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 87 or 5.5% were born outside of Switzerland. The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 29.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 9.7%.
, there were 707 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 778 married individuals, 63 widows or widowers and 34 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.62 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 78.1% 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 562 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.7 persons per household. There were 121 households that consist of only one person and 64 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 568 households that answered this question, 21.3% were households made up of just one person and there were 7 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 147 married couples without children, 254 married couples with children There were 29 single parents with a child or children. There were 4 households that were made up of unrelated people and 6 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 294 single family homes (or 67.0% of the total) out of a total of 439 inhabited buildings. There were 114 multi-family buildings (26.0%), along with 12 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (2.7%) and 19 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (4.3%).
, a total of 538 apartments (78.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 136 apartments (19.8%) were seasonally occupied and 14 apartments (2.0%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 12.5 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.67%.
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 65.45% 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....
(14.89%), 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...
(13.08%) 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....
(4.1%). In the federal election, a total of 911 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 65.3%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
Conseil d'Etat (Switzerland)
In Switzerland, Conseil d'Etat is the name of the council constituting the cantonal government of French-speaking cantons. It is not to be confused with the Conseil des États which is a chamber of the Swiss parliament....
election a total of 887 votes were cast, of which 49 or about 5.5% were invalid. The voter participation was 65.3%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
Swiss Council of States election, 2007
Elections were held to the Council of States of Switzerland in October and November 2007 as part of the 2007 federal election. All 46 members of the Council of States were elected from all cantons of Switzerland. The first round was held on 21 October...
election a total of 909 votes were cast, of which 25 or about 2.8% were invalid. The voter participation was 65.5%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
Economy
, Ried-Brig had an unemployment rate of 1.3%. , there were 73 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 34 businesses involved in this sector. 79 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 18 businesses in this sector. 158 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 43 businesses in this sector. There were 746 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 36.6% 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 234. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 40, of which 29 were in agriculture and 11 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 70 of which 21 or (30.0%) were in manufacturing and 49 (70.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 124. In the tertiary sector; 15 or 12.1% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 13 or 10.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 30 or 24.2% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was in the information industry, 4 or 3.2% were the insurance or financial industry, 3 or 2.4% were technical professionals or scientists, 7 or 5.6% were in education and 38 or 30.6% were in health care.
, there were 75 workers who commuted into the municipality and 598 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 8.0 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 5.3% of the workforce coming into Ried-Brig are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 25.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 59.1% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,391 or 87.9% were Roman Catholic, while 85 or 5.4% 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 were 6 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 0.38% of the population), and there were 27 individuals (or about 1.71% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 7 (or about 0.44% of the population) who were Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There was 1 person who was Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. 44 (or about 2.78% 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 34 individuals (or about 2.15% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Ried-Brig about 631 or (39.9%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 165 or (10.4%) 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 165 who completed tertiary schooling, 72.1% were Swiss men, 18.2% were Swiss women, 5.5% were non-Swiss men and 4.2% were non-Swiss women.
During the 2010-2011 school year there were a total of 155 students in the Ried-Brig school system. The education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
in the Canton of Valais allows young children to attend one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
. During that school year, there 2 kindergarten classes (KG1 or KG2) and 37 kindergarten students. The canton's school system requires students to attend six years of primary school. In Ried-Brig there were a total of 8 classes and 155 students in the primary school. The secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
program consists of three lower, obligatory years of schooling (orientation classes), followed by three to five years of optional, advanced schools. All the lower secondary students from Ried-Brig attend their school in a neighboring municipality. All the upper secondary students attended school in another municipality.
, there were 8 students in Ried-Brig who came from another municipality, while 149 residents attended schools outside the municipality.