Oberstocken | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Oberstocken  | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Canton | Berne |
| District | Niedersimmental |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.12 km2 (1.59 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 691 m (2,267 ft) |
| Population (December 2007) | |
| • Total | 290 |
| • Density | 70/km2 (180/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (Central European Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time) |
| Postal code(s) | 3632 |
| SFOS number | 0765 |
| ISO 3166 code | CH-BE |
| Surrounded by | Därstetten, Erlenbach im Simmental, Höfen, Niederstocken, Pohlern |
| Website | www SFSO statistics |
Oberstocken is a municipality in the district of Niedersimmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
History
Oberstocken is first mentioned in 1351 as Stogken.[1]
Demographics
Oberstocken has a population (as of 2007[update]) of 290, of which 3.1% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 9.8%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (99.2%), with French being second most common ( 0.4%) and sdf being third (ahdf%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 48.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the local small left-wing parties (15.9%), the SPS (10.6%) and the Green Party (9.1%).
The age distribution of the population (as of 2000[update]) is children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 25.9% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 60.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Oberstocken about 77.9% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).
Oberstocken has an unemployment rate of 2.38%. As of 2005[update], there were 4 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 2 businesses involved in this sector. 13 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 5 businesses in this sector. 18 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 6 businesses in this sector.[2] The historical population is given in the following table:[1]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 120 |
| 1850 | 223 |
| 1900 | 179 |
| 1950 | 243 |
| 2000 | 263 |
Civil Defense
With its 290 inhabitants[3] this rural valley is designated as a civil defense evacuation site, with over 350 small bunkers. The main civil defense building is interimly used as a garage which houses 16 vehicles.[4]
Geography
Oberstocken has an area of Template:Km2 to mi2. Of this area, 41.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 39.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (15.6%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[2]
Oberstocken lies in a valley in the Bernese high country of the alps. The neighboring municipalities starting from the north in a clockwise direction are: Höfen, Niederstocken, Erlenbach im Simmental, Därstetten and Pohlern.
References
- ^ a b Oberstocken in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 10-Jul-2009
- ^ Homepage de la commune d'Oberstocken
- ^ Willkommen in Oberstocken: Porträt unserer Gemeinde in German
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