Le Bémont facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Le Bémont
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Le Bémont village
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 Le Bémont
Location in Switzerland
Le Bémont
Location in Canton of Jura
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Jura | |
| District | Franches-Montagnes | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 11.68 km2 (4.51 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 982 m (3,222 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 324 | |
| • Density | 27.74/km2 (71.85/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
2360
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| Localities | La Bosse, Les Communances, Les Cufattes, Les Rouges-Terres | |
| Surrounded by | Saignelégier, Les Pommerats, Les Enfers, Montfaucon, Tramelan(BE) | |
Le Bémont is a small town, also called a municipality, in Switzerland. It is located in the Jura canton, which is like a state in Switzerland. Le Bémont is part of the Franches-Montagnes district.
Contents
A Glimpse into History
Le Bémont was first mentioned way back in 1330. At that time, it was known as Le Belmont.
Where is Le Bémont?
Le Bémont covers an area of about 11.64 square kilometers. A big part of this land, about 68%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 26% of the area. The rest of the land, about 4.3%, has buildings and roads. A small part, 1.2%, is unproductive land.
Most of the built-up areas are homes and other buildings (1.9%). Roads and other transport areas make up 2.1%. In the forested areas, 21.6% is dense forest. Another 4.5% has orchards or small groups of trees. For farming, 12.5% is used for crops. About 34% is pastures for animals, and 21.5% is used for mountain pastures.
The municipality is in the Franches-Montagnes district. It includes several smaller villages or hamlets, such as La Bosse and Les Rouges-Terres.
Le Bémont and several other nearby towns are thinking about joining together. They might form a new, larger municipality called Franches-Montagnes in the future.
Le Bémont's Coat of Arms
The blazon (description) of Le Bémont's coat of arms is quite interesting. It shows a green pine tree with a black trunk. This tree grows from a green hill. On either side of the tree, there are two red horses walking. At the very top, there are two red five-pointed stars.
People and Population
Le Bémont has a population of about 338 people. In 2008, a small number of people, about 2.4%, were foreign nationals living there. Over ten years (from 2000 to 2010), the population decreased by 8.2%. More people moved away than moved in.
Most people in Le Bémont speak French as their main language (97.4%). A smaller number speak German (2.3%), and even fewer speak Italian (0.3%).
In 2008, the population was almost evenly split between males (52%) and females (48%). Most residents were Swiss citizens. About 45.7% of the people living in Le Bémont in 2000 were also born there.
In 2000, children and teenagers (up to 19 years old) made up 30.6% of the population. Adults (20-64 years old) were 57.2%, and seniors (over 64) were 12.1%.
There were 115 homes in Le Bémont in 2000. On average, there were 3 people living in each home. About 76.7% of the homes were lived in all the time.
Here's how the population of Le Bémont has changed over the years:
Important Heritage Sites
One special building in Le Bémont is the farm house at La Bosse 38. It is listed as a very important heritage site of national significance in Switzerland. The entire small village of La Bosse is also recognized as an important Swiss heritage site.
Economy and Jobs
In 2010, the unemployment rate in Le Bémont was 4.3%. This means a small percentage of people looking for work couldn't find it.
In 2008, many people worked in the primary economic sector. This mostly means farming and agriculture. There were 70 people working in this area. A smaller number, 14 people, worked in the secondary sector. This includes things like manufacturing and construction. Finally, 17 people worked in the tertiary sector, which includes services like shops, restaurants, and education.
Most of the jobs in the primary sector were in agriculture. In the secondary sector, about 61.5% of jobs were in manufacturing, and 46.2% were in construction. In the tertiary sector, half of the jobs were in sales or vehicle repair. About 33.3% were in hotels or restaurants, and 25% were in education.
Many people who live in Le Bémont travel to other towns for work. In 2000, 97 people commuted out of the municipality, while only 18 came in for work. This means more people leave Le Bémont for jobs than come into it. About 4.4% of workers used public transport, and 53% used a private car to get to work.
Getting Around: Transport
Le Bémont has its own railway station, called Le Bémont. This station is on the train line that connects La Chaux-de-Fonds and Glovelier.
Religion in Le Bémont
Based on the 2000 census, most people in Le Bémont are Roman Catholic (76.3%). A smaller group, 9.2%, belong to the Swiss Reformed Church. Some people belong to other Christian churches. About 8.38% of the population said they didn't belong to any church, or were agnostic or atheist.
Education and Schools
In Le Bémont, about 30.1% of the population has finished upper secondary education. This is education after middle school. About 6.1% have gone on to higher education, like university or a specialized college.
The Canton of Jura has a school system that starts with two years of optional Kindergarten. After that, students go to six years of Primary school. Then, they have three years of required lower Secondary school. In secondary school, students are grouped based on their abilities. After lower Secondary, students can choose to go to an optional upper Secondary school for three or four years. They can also go to a special college or start an apprenticeship (learning a trade on the job).
During the 2009–10 school year, there were 55 students in Le Bémont-Les Enfers school district. Le Bémont had one kindergarten class with 12 students. It also had three primary classes with 43 students. Since there are only nine secondary schools in the whole canton, students from Le Bémont go to secondary school in a different town.
In 2000, 11 students came to Le Bémont to attend school. However, 46 students who lived in Le Bémont went to schools outside the municipality.
See also
In Spanish: Le Bémont para niños
