Vira (Gambarogno)
Encyclopedia
Vira is a former municipality
in the district of Locarno
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
.
On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano
, Contone
, Gerra Gambarogno
, Indemini
, Magadino
, Piazzogna
, San Nazzaro
, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of Gambarogno
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.7%. Out of the forested land, 73.1% of the total land area is heavily forested, while 11.8% is covered in small trees and shrubbery and 1.8% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.3% is used for growing crops and 3.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 3.2% is unproductive vegetation and 1.1% is too rocky for vegetation.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Bendy wavy of eight argent and azure and overall on a base of an anchor sable three mullets of five or.
Most of the population speaks Italian
(73.7%), with German
being second most common (17.2%) and French
being third (2.8%). Of the Swiss national languages , 106 speak German
, 17 people speak French
, 454 people speak Italian
. The remainder (39 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 48.0% male and 52.0% female. The population was made up of 262 Swiss men (38.6% of the population), and 64 (9.4%) non-Swiss men. There were 303 Swiss women (44.6%), and 50 (7.4%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 4 live births to Swiss citizens and were 7 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 3 while the foreign population decreased by 2. There were 2 Swiss men who immigrated back to Switzerland and 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there was 1 non-Swiss man and 5 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of 3 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 6 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.5%.
The age distribution, , in Vira (Gambarogno) is; 53 children or 7.8% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 45 teenagers or 6.6% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 57 people or 8.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 86 people or 12.7% are between 30 and 39, 95 people or 14.0% are between 40 and 49, and 104 people or 15.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 106 people or 15.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 77 people or 11.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 56 people or 8.2% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 44.6% 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 277 private households in the village, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. there were 347 single family homes (or 74.6% of the total) out of a total of 465 inhabited buildings. There were 63 two family buildings (13.5%) and 31 multi-family buildings (6.7%). There were also 24 buildings in the village that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the village, , was 0.13%. there were 740 apartments in the village. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 223. There were 88 single room apartments and 162 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 276 apartments (37.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 445 apartments (60.1%) were seasonally occupied and 19 apartments (2.6%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 24.2 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
the most popular party was the FDP
which received 31.03% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(30.16%), the SP
(14.17%) and the Ticino League
(11.03%). In the federal election, a total of 212 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 41.6%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 500 registered voters in Vira (Gambarogno), of which 279 or 55.8% voted. 7 blank ballots were cast, leaving 272 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
which received 75 or 27.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD
+GenGiova (with 63 or 23.2%), the SSI (with 56 or 20.6%) and the LEGA
(with 35 or 12.9%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 3 blank ballots and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 274 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 71 or 25.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 58 or 21.2%), the SSI (with 52 or 19.0%) and the LEGA (with 50 or 18.2%).
, there were 92 workers who commuted into the village and 162 workers who commuted away. The village is a net exporter of workers, with about 1.8 workers leaving the village for every one entering. About 21.7% of the workforce coming into Vira (Gambarogno) are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 6.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 56.3% used a private car.
, there were 6 hotels in Vira (Gambarogno) with a total of 79 rooms and 166 beds.
. There are 56 individuals (or about 9.09% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 26 individuals (or about 4.22% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
In Vira (Gambarogno) there were a total of 84 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Vira (Gambarogno) there were 18 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years. In the village, 26 students attended the standard primary schools. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 15 students in the two year middle school and 1 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 6 students were in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 8 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 9 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There was 1 student in the professional program.
, there were 5 students in Vira (Gambarogno) who came from another village, while 41 residents attended schools outside the village.
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 Locarno
Locarno (district)
The district of Locarno is a district of Canton Ticino, Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:...
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 Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
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....
.
On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano
Caviano
Caviano is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of...
, Contone
Contone
Contone is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of...
, Gerra Gambarogno
Gerra (Gambarogno)
Gerra is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of...
, Indemini
Indemini
Indemini is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of...
, Magadino
Magadino
Magadino is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of...
, Piazzogna
Piazzogna
Piazzogna is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of...
, San Nazzaro
San Nazzaro, Switzerland
San Nazzaro is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of...
, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of Gambarogno
Gambarogno
Gambarogno is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It was created on 25 April 2010 through the merger of the municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira...
.
Geography
Vira (Gambarogno) has an area, , of 11.99 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi). Of this area, 0.53 km² (0.204634144054044 sq mi) or 4.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 10.39 km² (4 sq mi) or 86.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.56 km² (0.21621720881182 sq mi) or 4.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.14 km² (34.6 acre) or 1.2% is either rivers or lakes and 0.51 km² (0.196912100882193 sq mi) or 4.3% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.7%. Out of the forested land, 73.1% of the total land area is heavily forested, while 11.8% is covered in small trees and shrubbery and 1.8% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.3% is used for growing crops and 3.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 3.2% is unproductive vegetation and 1.1% is too rocky for vegetation.
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 Bendy wavy of eight argent and azure and overall on a base of an anchor sable three mullets of five or.
Demographics
Vira (Gambarogno) has a population of 679. , 15.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997-2007) the population has changed at a rate of 2%.Most of the population speaks 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...
(73.7%), with 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....
being second most common (17.2%) and 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...
being third (2.8%). Of the Swiss national languages , 106 speak 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....
, 17 people speak 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...
, 454 people 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...
. The remainder (39 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 48.0% male and 52.0% female. The population was made up of 262 Swiss men (38.6% of the population), and 64 (9.4%) non-Swiss men. There were 303 Swiss women (44.6%), and 50 (7.4%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 4 live births to Swiss citizens and were 7 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 3 while the foreign population decreased by 2. There were 2 Swiss men who immigrated back to Switzerland and 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there was 1 non-Swiss man and 5 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of 3 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 6 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.5%.
The age distribution, , in Vira (Gambarogno) is; 53 children or 7.8% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 45 teenagers or 6.6% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 57 people or 8.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 86 people or 12.7% are between 30 and 39, 95 people or 14.0% are between 40 and 49, and 104 people or 15.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 106 people or 15.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 77 people or 11.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 56 people or 8.2% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 44.6% 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 277 private households in the village, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. there were 347 single family homes (or 74.6% of the total) out of a total of 465 inhabited buildings. There were 63 two family buildings (13.5%) and 31 multi-family buildings (6.7%). There were also 24 buildings in the village that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the village, , was 0.13%. there were 740 apartments in the village. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 223. There were 88 single room apartments and 162 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 276 apartments (37.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 445 apartments (60.1%) were seasonally occupied and 19 apartments (2.6%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 24.2 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 454 |
| 1960 | 530 |
| 1970 | 589 |
| 1980 | 579 |
| 1990 | 531 |
| 2000 | 616 |
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 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....
which received 31.03% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(30.16%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(14.17%) and the Ticino League
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(11.03%). In the federal election, a total of 212 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 41.6%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 500 registered voters in Vira (Gambarogno), of which 279 or 55.8% voted. 7 blank ballots were cast, leaving 272 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
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....
which received 75 or 27.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD
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...
+GenGiova (with 63 or 23.2%), the SSI (with 56 or 20.6%) and the LEGA
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(with 35 or 12.9%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 3 blank ballots and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 274 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 71 or 25.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 58 or 21.2%), the SSI (with 52 or 19.0%) and the LEGA (with 50 or 18.2%).
Economy
, Vira (Gambarogno) had an unemployment rate of 3.13%. , there were 4 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 3 businesses involved in this sector. 39 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 10 businesses in this sector. 223 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 41 businesses in this sector. There were 277 residents of the village who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 41.5% of the workforce., there were 92 workers who commuted into the village and 162 workers who commuted away. The village is a net exporter of workers, with about 1.8 workers leaving the village for every one entering. About 21.7% of the workforce coming into Vira (Gambarogno) are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 6.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 56.3% used a private car.
, there were 6 hotels in Vira (Gambarogno) with a total of 79 rooms and 166 beds.
Religion
From the , 456 or 74.0% were Roman Catholic, while 78 or 12.7% 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...
. There are 56 individuals (or about 9.09% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 26 individuals (or about 4.22% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Vira (Gambarogno) about 69.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or 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...
).
In Vira (Gambarogno) there were a total of 84 students . The Ticino 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...
provides up to three 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...
and in Vira (Gambarogno) there were 18 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years. In the village, 26 students attended the standard primary schools. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 15 students in the two year middle school and 1 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 6 students were in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 8 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 9 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There was 1 student in the professional program.
, there were 5 students in Vira (Gambarogno) who came from another village, while 41 residents attended schools outside the village.