Gordevio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gordevio
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Gordevio village
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 Gordevio
Location in Switzerland
Gordevio
Location in Canton of Ticino
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Ticino | |
| District | Vallemaggia | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 19.25 km2 (7.43 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 312 m (1,024 ft) | |
| Population | ||
| • Total | 812 | |
| • Density | 42.18/km2 (109.25/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
6672
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| Surrounded by | Avegno, Brione (Verzasca), Corippo, Lavertezzo, Maggia, Mergoscia | |
Gordevio was once a small town, or "municipality," located in the Vallemaggia district in Ticino, Switzerland. On April 20, 2008, Gordevio joined with another town called Avegno. Together, they formed a new municipality named Avegno Gordevio.
Contents
History of Gordevio
Gordevio was first written about in the year 1200. Back then, it was called de gordauio. Later, in 1335, its name changed slightly to de Gordavio.
Churches and Chapels
The main church in Gordevio is called SS Giacomo e Filippo. People first mentioned this church in the 1200s. The building you see today was built in the 1600s. It stands on the site of an even older church from the 1300s.
Inside the church, you can find paintings by Giovanni Antonio Vanoni from the 1800s. There are also frescoes, which are paintings on wet plaster, in the nearby ossuary. These were likely created by Giuseppe Antonio Felice Orelli in 1753.
In the village of Brièè, a small chapel named S. Antonio Abate was built in 1666. Both Gordevio and Avegno had their own chaplains in the 1300s. These two villages became separate from the main church in Maggia. They likely separated from each other around 1645.
Village Life and Population Changes
The center of Gordevio has some houses that are very old, dating back to the 1800s. For a long time, there wasn't enough farmland in Gordevio. This caused many people to move away. At first, many went to Rome. Later, in the late 1800s, people even moved overseas. This led to a decrease in the number of people living in the village.
However, in the last few decades of the 1900s, the population started to grow again. This happened because Gordevio is close to Locarno, a larger city. Today, very few people in Gordevio work in farming.
Geography of Gordevio
Gordevio is located in the Vallemaggia district. The village has two main parts: Villa and Brièè. These two sections are separated by a small stream called Ri di Gèi.
Gordevio's Coat of Arms
The coat of arms for Gordevio has a special design. It is split diagonally into two parts. One part is red and has two silver fleur-de-lis, which are like lily flowers. The other part is silver and has a cross that looks like an 'X' in blue and red. A thin blue line runs diagonally across the whole shield.
Population and People
In December 2004, Gordevio had a population of 812 people.
Languages Spoken
Most people in Gordevio speak Italian. In 2000, about 84.6% of the population spoke Italian. The second most common language was German, spoken by about 10% of the people. About 3.6% spoke French. A very small number of people, only 3, spoke Romansh.
Where People Were Born
In 2000, about 38.2% of the people living in Gordevio were born there. Another 29.6% were born in the same canton (Ticino). About 14.4% were born elsewhere in Switzerland. Finally, 12.5% of the population was born outside of Switzerland.
Family Life
In 2000, about 346 people in Gordevio were single and had never been married. There were 354 married people. Also, 58 people were widows or widowers, and 40 people were divorced.
Households and Homes
In 2000, there were 274 households in Gordevio. About 21.5% of these households had only one person living in them. Seven households had adults living with their parents. There were 64 married couples without children and 104 married couples with children. Also, 26 households were single parents with children.
Most of the buildings in Gordevio are single-family homes. In 2000, there were 260 single-family homes, making up about 78.5% of all inhabited buildings. Many of these homes, 84 of them, were built between 1919 and 1945.
The village had 422 apartments in 2000. The most common size was 4 rooms, with 112 such apartments. About 64% of the apartments were lived in all year round. About 33.6% were used only during certain seasons, like for holidays.
Historical Population Chart
The chart below shows how Gordevio's population has changed over time:
Economy and Jobs
In Gordevio, 318 people had jobs. About 41.2% of these workers were women. In 2000, 86 workers came into Gordevio for their jobs. However, 226 workers left Gordevio to work in other places. This means more people leave Gordevio for work than come in. About 14% of the workers who came into Gordevio were from outside Switzerland.
Religion in Gordevio
Based on the 2000 census, most people in Gordevio were Roman Catholic. About 79.2% of the population belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. Another 6.5% were part of the Swiss Reformed Church. A very small number of people, 2 individuals, were members of an Orthodox Church. One person belonged to another Christian church, and one person was Islamic. About 10% of the population did not belong to any church, or were agnostic or atheist. About 3.76% of the people did not answer the question about their religion.
Education in Gordevio
In Gordevio, about 39.2% of the population had finished non-mandatory high school education. Also, 9.6% had completed higher education, like attending a university or a specialized college. Of those who finished higher education, 55.8% were Swiss men and 37.7% were Swiss women. In 2000, 3 students came to Gordevio from other villages to attend school. However, 105 residents of Gordevio went to schools outside the village.
