Rochefort, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Rochefort is a municipality
in the district of Boudry
in the canton
of Neuchâtel in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.8%. Out of the forested land, 58.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.6% is used for growing crops and 10.9% is pastures and 17.5% is used for alpine pastures.
The municipality is located in the Boudry district, at the intersection of the Colombier-Le Locle and Neuchatel-Pontarlier roads. It consists of the settlements of Rochefort, Montézillon, Chambrelien, Les Grattes, La Tourne and Crostand.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Quartered Or and Gules and on a Border Sable eight Bezants.
Most of the population speaks French
(909 or 87.7%) as their first language, German
is the second most common (56 or 5.4%) and English
is the third (14 or 1.4%). There are 9 people who speak Italian
and 1 person who speaks Romansh.
, the population was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. The population was made up of 462 Swiss men (43.5% of the population) and 60 (5.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 490 Swiss women (46.2%) and 49 (4.6%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 223 or about 21.5% were born in Rochefort and lived there in 2000. There were 369 or 35.6% who were born in the same canton, while 218 or 21.0% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 119 or 11.5% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 25% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 62% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13%.
, there were 441 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 505 married individuals, 48 widows or widowers and 42 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 393 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. There were 111 households that consist of only one person and 29 households with five or more people. , a total of 371 apartments (78.9% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 85 apartments (18.1%) were seasonally occupied and 14 apartments (3.0%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 1.9 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
cave, is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
.
the most popular party was the SP
which received 20.85% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(18.17%), the FDP
(17.67%) and the Green Party
(14.53%). In the federal election, a total of 441 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 56.9%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 145. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 21, of which 17 were in agriculture and 4 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 26 of which 13 or (50.0%) were in manufacturing and 12 (46.2%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 98. In the tertiary sector; 9 or 9.2% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 23 or 23.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 31 or 31.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 15 or 15.3% were technical professionals or scientists, 4 or 4.1% were in education and 4 or 4.1% were in health care.
, there were 62 workers who commuted into the municipality and 424 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 6.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 9.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 73.6% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 56 individuals (or about 5.41% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 4 (or about 0.39% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 1 individual who belonged to another church. 229 (or about 22.10% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 106 individuals (or about 10.23% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 175 who completed tertiary schooling, 57.7% were Swiss men, 27.4% were Swiss women, 8.0% were non-Swiss men and 6.9% were non-Swiss women.
In the canton of Neuchâtel most municipalities provide two years of non-mandatory kindergarten
, followed by five years of mandatory primary education. The next four years of mandatory secondary education is provided at thirteen larger secondary schools, which many students travel out of their home municipality to attend. Both the kindergarten and the primary school are combined with Brot-Dessous
. During the 2010-11 school year, there was one kindergarten class with a total of 16 students between the municipalities. In the same year, there were 3 primary classes with a total of 61 students.
, there were 12 students in Rochefort who came from another municipality, while 97 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 Boudry
Boudry (district)
Boudry District is one of the six districts of the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. It has a population of . The district capital is the town of Boudry.-Municipalities:The district consists of the following 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 Neuchâtel 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
Rochefort is first mentioned in 1184 as Rupeforti. In 1236 it was mentioned as Rochifort.Geography
Rochefort has an area, , of 20.9 square kilometre. Of this area, 6.76 square kilometre or 32.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.05 square kilometre or 62.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.05 square kilometre or 5.0% is settled (buildings or roads) and 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 0.1% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.8%. Out of the forested land, 58.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.6% is used for growing crops and 10.9% is pastures and 17.5% is used for alpine pastures.
The municipality is located in the Boudry district, at the intersection of the Colombier-Le Locle and Neuchatel-Pontarlier roads. It consists of the settlements of Rochefort, Montézillon, Chambrelien, Les Grattes, La Tourne and Crostand.
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 Quartered Or and Gules and on a Border Sable eight Bezants.
Demographics
Rochefort has a population of . , 9.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010 ) the population has changed at a rate of 11.7%. It has changed at a rate of 7.9% due to migration and at a rate of 3.5% 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...
(909 or 87.7%) 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 (56 or 5.4%) and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is the third (14 or 1.4%). There are 9 people who speak 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...
and 1 person who speaks Romansh.
, the population was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. The population was made up of 462 Swiss men (43.5% of the population) and 60 (5.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 490 Swiss women (46.2%) and 49 (4.6%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 223 or about 21.5% were born in Rochefort and lived there in 2000. There were 369 or 35.6% who were born in the same canton, while 218 or 21.0% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 119 or 11.5% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 25% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 62% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13%.
, there were 441 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 505 married individuals, 48 widows or widowers and 42 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 393 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. There were 111 households that consist of only one person and 29 households with five or more people. , a total of 371 apartments (78.9% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 85 apartments (18.1%) were seasonally occupied and 14 apartments (3.0%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 1.9 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Heritage sites of national significance
The Cotencher, a paleolithicPaleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
cave, is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
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 SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 20.85% 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...
(18.17%), 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....
(17.67%) and the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(14.53%). In the federal election, a total of 441 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 56.9%.
Economy
, Rochefort had an unemployment rate of 2.8%. , there were 30 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 27 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 6 businesses in this sector. 131 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 26 businesses in this sector. There were 531 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 40.7% 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 145. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 21, of which 17 were in agriculture and 4 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 26 of which 13 or (50.0%) were in manufacturing and 12 (46.2%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 98. In the tertiary sector; 9 or 9.2% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 23 or 23.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 31 or 31.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 15 or 15.3% were technical professionals or scientists, 4 or 4.1% were in education and 4 or 4.1% were in health care.
, there were 62 workers who commuted into the municipality and 424 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 6.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 9.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 73.6% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 183 or 17.7% were Roman Catholic, while 484 or 46.7% 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 56 individuals (or about 5.41% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 4 (or about 0.39% 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 were 1 individual who belonged to another church. 229 (or about 22.10% 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 106 individuals (or about 10.23% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Rochefort about 376 or (36.3%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 175 or (16.9%) 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 175 who completed tertiary schooling, 57.7% were Swiss men, 27.4% were Swiss women, 8.0% were non-Swiss men and 6.9% were non-Swiss women.
In the canton of Neuchâtel most municipalities provide two years of non-mandatory 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...
, followed by five years of mandatory primary education. The next four years of mandatory secondary education is provided at thirteen larger secondary schools, which many students travel out of their home municipality to attend. Both the kindergarten and the primary school are combined with Brot-Dessous
Brot-Dessous
Brot-Dessous is a municipality in the district of Boudry in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.-History:Brot-Dessous is first mentioned in 998 as Broch in a document celebrating the founding of the priory of Bevaix. Between 1524 and 1730 it was part of the municipality of...
. During the 2010-11 school year, there was one kindergarten class with a total of 16 students between the municipalities. In the same year, there were 3 primary classes with a total of 61 students.
, there were 12 students in Rochefort who came from another municipality, while 97 residents attended schools outside the municipality.