Uster
| Uster | ||||||||||
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| Population | 31,503 (Dec 2009)[1] | |||||||||
| - Density | 1,103 /km2 (2,857 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 28.56 km2 (11.03 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 464 m (1,522 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 8610 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 0198 | |||||||||
| Mayor (list) | Martin Bornhauser (as of 2008) SPS/PSS | |||||||||
| Localities | Kirchuster, Freudwil, Nänikon, Niederuster, Nossikon, Oberuster, Riedikon, Sulzbach, Wermatswil, Werrikon, Winikon-Gschwader | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Fehraltorf, Gossau, Greifensee, Maur, Mönchaltorf, Pfäffikon, Seegräben, Volketswil | |||||||||
| Twin towns | Prenzlau (Germany) | |||||||||
| Website | www.uster.ch SFSO statistics |
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  Uster
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| View map of Uster | ||||||||||
Uster is a city and capital of the district Uster in the Swiss Canton of Zürich.
It is the third largest city in the Canton of Zürich, with over 30,000 inhabitants, and is one of the twenty largest cities in Switzerland. Uster is located next to lake Greifensee.
The city of Uster received the Wakker Prize in 2001.
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History
In 741 the village of Riedikon is first mentioned, while in 775 Uster is first mentioned. In 1267 the Burg Uster (castle) is first mentioned, in the possession of the Freiherr von Bonstetten.[2]
During the Old Zürich War, in May 1444, the Old Swiss Confederacy laid siege to the nearby town of Greifensee, held by about 70 defenders, most of them inhabitants of the Amt Greifensee, and a few Habsburg and Zürich soldiers. The town was captured after four weeks, on May 27, and all but two of the surviving 64 defenders were beheaded on the next day, including the leader, Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg. Even in times of war, mass execution was widely considered a cruel and unjust deed. On May 29, the Castle of Greifensee and the city walls were broken.
On 22 November 1830 about 10,000 men of the Canton of Zurich gathered near Uster and demanded a new constitution. This assembly, known as the Ustertag, together with other assemblies in Switzerland led to the Restoration and the creation of the Swiss Federal State.[3]
Geography
Uster has an area of 28.5 square kilometers (11.0 sq mi). Of this area, 44.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 27.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 26.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[4] In 1996[update] housing and buildings made up 18.4% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (7.8%).[5] Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0.4% of the area. As of 2007[update] 22.2% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.[5]
Demographics
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Uster has a population (as of 31 December 2009) of 31,503.[1] As of 2007[update], 21.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. As of 2008[update] the gender distribution of the population was 49.6% male and 50.4% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 14.2%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (85.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 4.5%) and Albanian being third ( 1.7%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 31.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (20.6%), the CSP (13.3%) and the Green Party (12.2%).
The age distribution of the population (as of 2000[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 12.8%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Uster about 73.9% 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 12605 households in Uster.[5]
Uster has an unemployment rate of 3.28%. As of 2005[update], there were 392 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 92 businesses involved in this sector. 3,204 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 238 businesses in this sector. 9475 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 1091 businesses in this sector.[4] As of 2007[update] 51.5% of the working population were employed full-time, and 48.5% were employed part-time.[5]
As of 2008[update] there were 9,366 Catholics and 11,890 Protestants in Uster. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the census[update], 45% were some type of Protestant, with 41.8% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church and 3.3% belonging to other Protestant churches. 31.7% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 5.4% were Muslim, 7.2% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.4% did not give a religion, and 11.7% were atheist or agnostic.[5]
Weather
Uster has an average of 135.4 days of rain per year and on average receives 1,164 mm (45.8 in) of precipitation. The wettest month is June during which time Uster receives an average of 137 mm (5.4 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.1 days. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 69 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation over 13.1 days.[6]
Wakker Prize
Uster received the Wakker Prize from the Swiss Heritage Society in 2001 for the city's efforts to maintain an identity within the anonymous Swiss Agglomeration around Zurich. The Society noted that developed land was clearly separated from the neighboring farming land. They praised the efforts that the city had made to integrate old and new buildings and to build with harmonious architectural styles.[7]
Transportation
Uster is a node of the Zürich S-Bahn on the lines S9, S14, S15 and S5. Its train station is a 14 minute ride (S5) from Zürich Hauptbahnhof.
 Church and castle of Uster |
 Kirchuster and inner city |
 Nossikon and Riedikon (to the right) |
 Wil and Niederuster, Greifensee, Pfannenstiel and Forch in the background |
 City park |
 Uster S-Bahn Zürich station |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Canton of Zurich Statistical Office (German) accessed 26 May 2010
- ↑ City of Uster website-History (German) accessed 5 January 2010
- ↑ Volkstage in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 14-Aug-2009
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Statistics Zurich (German) accessed 4 August 2009
- ↑ "Temperature and Precipitation Average Values-Table, 1961-1990" (in German, French, Italian). Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology - MeteoSwiss. http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/web/de/klima/klima_schweiz/tabellen.html. Retrieved 8 May 2009., the weather station elevation is 440 meters above sea level.
- ↑ Wakker Prize (German) accessed 14 August 2009
External links
- Official website (German)
- Map of Uster
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