Eiken, Aargau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eiken
|
||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
|
||
 Eiken
Location in Switzerland
Eiken
Location in Canton of Aargau
|
||
| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Aargau | |
| District | Laufenburg | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 7.08 km2 (2.73 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 330 m (1,080 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
|
||
| • Total | 2,331 | |
| • Density | 329.24/km2 (852.7/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
5074
|
|
| Surrounded by | Frick, Kaisten, Münchwilen, Oeschgen, Schupfart, Sisseln | |
| Twin towns | Eicken-Bruche (Germany), Eke (Belgium), Eecke (France) | |
Eiken (also known as Äike in High Alemannic German) is a town in Switzerland. It is a municipality located in the Laufenburg district, which is part of the canton of Aargau.
Contents
History of Eiken
Early Times and Independence
People likely lived in the area of Eiken as far back as the Roman times. We also find objects from the Alamanni and Frankish Empire periods. The first time Eiken is mentioned in writing is in the early 1100s, when it was called Eitchon.
The nearby town of Sisseln actually started as an expansion of Eiken. Sisseln remained part of Eiken until 1806, when it became its own independent municipality.
Self-Rule and Joining Aargau
Under the Habsburgs (a powerful European family), Eiken was an important center for a region called a bailiwick (an area managed by a special officer). In the 1500s, the people of Eiken bought their own Twingherrschaft. This special right gave them local self-rule and some control over their own courts.
Eiken was part of the Austrian Fricktal region until 1803. After that, it became part of the newly formed Aargau canton in Switzerland.
Churches in Eiken
Before 1228, a knight named Rudolf Möhlin was given control over the local church by the St. Martin Church of Rheinfelden. This control, called patronage, included the church in Eiken until 1868.
Between 1871 and 1873, Eiken built a new church. It was officially dedicated in 1891 to St. Vincent, Joseph, and Mary. The Catholic church community of Eiken also includes the towns of Münchwilen and Sisseln.
Eiken's Changing Economy
For a long time, until the 1900s, most people in Eiken worked in farming. After World War II, some chemical plants and other factories moved into the town. By 1990, about two-thirds of the people working in Eiken had jobs in factories. However, by 2000, this number had dropped to about one-quarter.
Geography of Eiken
Land Use in Eiken
Eiken covers an area of about 7.08 square kilometers (2.73 square miles). A large part of this land, about 44.4%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 30.5% of the area.
About 23% of Eiken's land is developed with buildings or roads. A small part, less than 1%, is made up of rivers or lakes. Very little land, about 0.4%, is unproductive, meaning it cannot be used for farming or building.
Location and Layout
Eiken is located in the Laufenburg district. It is in the upper part of the Fricktal valley. The town is on the old Bözberg road, which connects Basel to Zürich.
Eiken is a linear village, meaning it grew along a road. It was originally a haufendorf village, which means it was an unplanned village with buildings packed closely around a central area.
Eiken's Coat of Arms
The coat of arms for Eiken shows a red background. On it, there are four golden ears of wheat, two pointing one way and two the other. In the middle, there is a black bailiff's mace (a type of staff).
People of Eiken (Demographics)
Population and Languages
As of 2023, Eiken has a population of about 2,400 people. About 14.8% of the people living in Eiken are from other countries. Over the past ten years (1997–2007), the population grew by about 16.8%.
Most people in Eiken, about 91.7%, speak German. Albanian is the second most common language, spoken by about 2.3% of the population. Italian is the third most common, spoken by about 1.4%.
Age Groups
Looking at the population in 2008, here's how the age groups break down:
- Children (0-9 years old): 9.8%
- Teenagers (10-19 years old): 12.3%
- Young adults (20-29 years old): 12.8%
- Adults (30-39 years old): 13.8%
- Middle-aged adults (40-49 years old): 19.4%
- Older adults (50-59 years old): 13.1%
- Seniors (60-69 years old): 9.4%
- Older seniors (70-79 years old): 7.3%
- Very old seniors (80-89 years old): 1.9%
- Eldest seniors (90 and older): 0.4%
Homes and Households
In 2000, the average home in Eiken had about 0.56 residents per room. About 66.3% of homes were owned by the people living in them, meaning they didn't pay rent.
In 2000, there were:
- 41 homes with 1 or 2 people.
- 399 homes with 3 or 4 people.
- 249 homes with 5 or more people.
The average household in Eiken had 2.4 people. In 2008, about 42.3% of all homes were single-family houses. The construction of new homes was quite active in 2007.
Politics and Education
In the 2007 Swiss federal election, the most popular political party in Eiken was the SVP, which received 37.9% of the votes. Other popular parties included the CVP, the SP, and the FDP.
Most people in Switzerland are well-educated. In Eiken, about 73.1% of adults (aged 25-64) have completed either advanced high school education or higher education, like university. In the 2008/2009 school year, 139 students attended primary school and 64 students attended secondary school in Eiken.
Historical Population
The population of Eiken has changed over time, as shown in this table:
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1768 | 451 | — |
| 1850 | 837 | +85.6% |
| 1900 | 795 | −5.0% |
| 1930 | 760 | −4.4% |
| 1950 | 892 | +17.4% |
| 2000 | 1,750 | +96.2% |
Economy of Eiken
Jobs and Businesses
In 2007, Eiken had a low unemployment rate of 2.39%. In 2005, there were 49 people working in the primary economic sector (like farming). There were 13 businesses in this sector.
The secondary sector (like manufacturing and factories) employed 557 people across 18 businesses. The tertiary sector (like services and offices) employed 242 people, with 41 businesses.
Commuting and Transportation
In 2000, 886 people lived in Eiken and worked. Most of them, about 81.8%, worked outside of Eiken. However, 215 people traveled into Eiken for work.
About 16% of the working population used public transportation to get to work. A larger number, 55.9%, used a private car.
Religion in Eiken
According to the 2000 census, most people in Eiken were Roman Catholic (58.5%). About 25% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. A small number, about 0.86%, were part of the Christian Catholic faith.
Transportation in Eiken
Eiken is located on the A3 motorway, which is a major highway. The town is also on the Bözberg railway line and has its own train station, Eiken, served by local trains.
Images for kids
-
Aerial view of Eiken in 1954
See also
In Spanish: Eiken para niños
