Bonstetten, Switzerland

Bonstetten
Country Switzerland
Canton Zurich
District Affoltern
Population 5,164 (Dec 2010)[1]
- Density 696 /km2 (1,803 /sq mi)
Area  7.43 km2 (2.87 sq mi)[2]
Elevation 543 m (1,781 ft)
Postal code 8906
SFOS number 0003
Surrounded by Aesch bei Birmensdorf, Birmensdorf, Hedingen, Islisberg (AG), Stallikon, Wettswil am Albis
Twin towns Bonstetten (Germany)
Website www.bonstetten.ch
SFSO statistics
Bonstetten

Bonstetten is a village in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.

Contents

History

Bonstetten is first mentioned in 1120 as Buonstetin, though this reference is debated. In 1184 it was mentioned as Bowensteden.[3]

Geography

Bonstetten has an area of 7.4 km2 (2.9 sq mi). Of this area, 57.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 29.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 13.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[4]

Demographics

Bonstetten has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 5,164.[1] As of 2007, 11.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 32.6%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (90.6%), with English being second most common ( 2.2%) and Italian being third ( 1.9%).

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 30.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (20.4%), the FDP (17.2%) and the CSP (12.4%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.5% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 67.2% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 8.2%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bonstetten about 86.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).

Bonstetten has an unemployment rate of 1.62%. As of 2005, there were 101 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 25 businesses involved in this sector. 95 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 26 businesses in this sector. 543 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 112 businesses in this sector.[4] The historical population is given in the following table:[3]

year population
1635 495
1712 612
1850 887
1900 691
1920 649
1950 888
1960 1,180
2000 3,893

Transport

Bonstetten-Wettswil railway station is a stop of the Zürich S-Bahn on the lines S9 and S15. It is a 23 minute ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof.

References

  1. ^ a b Canton of Zurich Statistical Office (German) accessed 29 March 2011
  2. ^ Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeindedaten nach 4 Hauptbereichen
  3. ^ a b Bonstetten in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  4. ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 22-Jul-2009

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Bonstetten_ZH Bonstetten ZH] at Wikimedia Commons