La Praz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
La Praz
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 La Praz
Location in Switzerland
La Praz
Location in Canton of Vaud
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Vaud | |
| District | Jura-Nord Vaudois | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 5.12 km2 (1.98 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 871 m (2,858 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 175 | |
| • Density | 34.18/km2 (88.5/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | Les Pratoux Lè Grezale |
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| Postal code |
1148
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| Surrounded by | Juriens, Moiry, Mont-la-Ville | |
La Praz is a small town, also called a municipality, located in Switzerland. It's part of the canton of Vaud and the Jura-Nord Vaudois district.
Contents
A Look Back: History of La Praz
La Praz has a long history! We first hear about it way back in 1276. Back then, it was called li Pra.
Exploring La Praz: Geography and Land Use
La Praz covers an area of about 5.1 square kilometers (2 square miles). A big part of this land, almost half (45.7%), is used for farming. This means there are fields for crops and pastures for animals.
Even more of the land, about 51%, is covered by forests. These are important natural areas. Only a small part, about 3.3%, has buildings or roads. This includes homes and transportation routes.
- Forests: Most of the forested land (48% of the total area) is dense forest. A smaller part (2.9%) has orchards or small groups of trees.
- Farmland: For farming, about 11.3% of the land grows crops. Another 18.9% is used for pastures, and 15% is for alpine pastures, often in higher areas.
La Praz used to be part of the Orbe District. But in 2006, that district was closed. La Praz then joined the new Jura-Nord Vaudois district. The municipality itself is mainly the linear village of La Praz.
Symbols of La Praz: The Coat of Arms
Every town has a special symbol called a coat of arms. It's like a unique badge for the municipality.
The coat of arms for La Praz looks like this: It has a silver background. On it, there's a black cross. Over the cross, there's a red key and a red sword crossed over each other.
Who Lives in La Praz: Population and People
La Praz has a population of about 138 people (as of 2004). The number of people living here has changed quite a bit. Over ten years (from 1999 to 2009), the population grew by about 26.9%. Most of this growth (23.8%) was from people moving into the town.
- Languages Spoken: Most people in La Praz speak French. About 94.9% of the population uses French. A smaller number speak German (4.3%), and even fewer speak English (0.9%).
- Age Groups: In 2009, the population had different age groups:
* Children (0-9 years old): 13.3% * Teenagers (10-19 years old): 15.2% * Young adults (20-29 years old): 12.1% * Adults (30-59 years old): 39.9% (broken into three equal groups of 13.3% each) * Seniors (60-89 years old): 19.4%
- Homes and Households: In 2000, there were 50 private households in La Praz. On average, about 2.3 people lived in each home.
* About 31.4% of households had only one person living there. * Some households had married couples with or without children. * A few households were single parents with children.
Most of the buildings in La Praz are single-family homes (60.8%). There are also some multi-family buildings and buildings used for both homes and businesses. Most apartments (76.2%) are lived in all the time.
The chart below shows how the population of La Praz has changed over many years:
Working in La Praz: Economy and Jobs
In 2010, the unemployment rate in La Praz was 5.2%. This means a small number of people who wanted to work couldn't find a job.
- Types of Jobs:
* Primary Sector: In 2008, 11 people worked in the primary sector, mostly in agriculture (farming). There were 5 businesses in this area. * Secondary Sector: Only 1 person worked in the secondary sector, which includes things like construction. There was 1 business in this sector. * Tertiary Sector: 4 people worked in the tertiary sector, which includes services. There were 3 businesses here, like shops or restaurants.
Overall, 59 people living in La Praz had jobs. About 40.7% of these workers were women. Many people who live in La Praz travel to other towns for work. Most of them (71.2%) use a private car to get to their jobs.
Beliefs in La Praz: Religion
Based on a survey from 2000, here's a look at the religious beliefs in La Praz:
- About 10.3% of the people were Roman Catholic.
- A larger group, 70.9%, belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
- About 8.55% belonged to other Christian churches.
- About 7.69% said they didn't belong to any church, or were agnostic (not sure about God) or atheist (don't believe in God).
- About 6.84% did not answer the question about their religion.
Learning in La Praz: Education
Education is important in La Praz. About 46.2% of the people have finished high school (called non-mandatory upper secondary education). Also, 7.7% have gone on to higher education, like university.
- School System: In the 2009/2010 school year, there were 22 students in the La Praz school district.
* In the Vaud canton, children can go to two years of optional pre-school. * Primary school lasts for four years, and there were 11 students in primary school in La Praz. * Lower secondary school is required for six years, and there were 11 students in these schools.
Some students from La Praz (18 of them in 2000) go to schools outside the municipality.
