Les Verrières facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Les Verrières
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Les Verrières village
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 Les Verrières
Location in Switzerland
Les Verrières
Location in Canton of Neuchâtel
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Neuchâtel | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 28.87 km2 (11.15 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 930 m (3,050 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 646 | |
| • Density | 22.376/km2 (57.95/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
2126
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| Surrounded by | Buttes, La Côte-aux-Fées, Les Alliés (FR-25), Les Bayards, Pontarlier (FR-25), Verrières-de-Joux (FR-25) | |
Les Verrières is a small town, also called a municipality, in the Neuchâtel area (canton) of Switzerland. It's known for its beautiful natural surroundings and its history.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
Les Verrières was first written about in 1344. Back then, it was called villa de Verreriis.
A famous event happened here during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). A French general named Charles-Denis Bourbaki and his tired soldiers crossed into Switzerland at Les Verrières. They were seeking safety after a difficult battle.
Exploring Les Verrières' Geography
Les Verrières covers an area of about 28.7 square kilometers (11.1 square miles). A large part of this land is used for farming, about 46%. Forests cover even more, around 50.7% of the area.
Only a small part, about 3.3%, has buildings or roads. The rest is land that isn't used for farming or building.
Most of the built-up area is for homes and other buildings. Roads and other ways to get around make up the rest. In the forested areas, most of the land is covered with thick forests. Some parts also have orchards or small groups of trees.
The farming land is used for crops, pastures for animals, and high mountain pastures.
Les Verrières used to be part of the Val-de-Travers district. But this district system was changed on January 1, 2018.
The main part of Les Verrières is a long village, about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) long. It includes smaller areas like Cret, Belle Perche, Grand Bourgeau, Croix-Blanche, and Meudon. There are also tiny villages, called hamlets, like Cernets and Mont-des-Verrières. You can find scattered homes across the area, from 910 to 1286 meters (2,986 to 4,219 feet) above sea level.
Understanding the Coat of Arms
The official symbol of Les Verrières, its coat of arms, is described like this: It has a blue background. Across it, there's a silver stripe with three blue six-pointed stars.
Who Lives in Les Verrières?
Les Verrières has a population of about 669 people. A small part of the population, about 5.1%, are people from other countries. Over the past ten years (2000–2010), the number of people living here has gone down by about 10.1%. This change is mostly because more people moved away than moved in.
Most people in Les Verrières speak French as their main language, about 89.9%. German is the second most common language, spoken by about 4.4% of the people. A small number of people also speak English, Italian, or Romansh.
In 2008, the population was almost evenly split between males (50.1%) and females (49.9%). Most residents are Swiss citizens.
About 33.5% of the people living in Les Verrières in 2000 were also born there. Many others were born in the same canton (area) of Switzerland, or in other parts of Switzerland. About 11.8% were born outside of Switzerland.
Children and teenagers (up to 19 years old) make up about 27.1% of the population. Adults (20–64 years old) are the largest group at 55%. Seniors (over 64 years old) make up about 18%.
In 2000, there were 294 households in Les Verrières. On average, each household had 2.2 people. Some households had only one person, while others had five or more people.
Important Places and Heritage
The entire village of Les Verrières is recognized as an important part of Swiss heritage. This means it has special historical or cultural value that needs to be protected.
How People Work and Earn Money
In 2010, the unemployment rate in Les Verrières was 4.4%. This means a small number of people who wanted to work couldn't find a job.
In 2008, many people worked in different types of jobs:
- Primary Sector: About 56 people worked in farming and related businesses. This includes agriculture and forestry.
- Secondary Sector: About 56 people worked in manufacturing (making things) and construction (building things).
- Tertiary Sector: The largest group, 127 people, worked in services. This includes jobs in sales, transportation, hotels, restaurants, healthcare, and education.
Overall, 311 people living in Les Verrières had jobs. About 42.1% of these workers were female.
Many people who live in Les Verrières travel to other towns for work. In 2000, about 143 people left the municipality to work, while 109 people came into Les Verrières for their jobs. This means more people leave Les Verrières for work than come in.
About 9.3% of workers used public transportation to get to their jobs. Most people, 51.1%, used a private car.
Beliefs and Religions
Based on information from 2000, about 26.1% of the people in Les Verrières were Roman Catholic. A larger group, about 50.5%, belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
A small number of people belonged to other Christian churches, or were Jewish or Islamic. About 8.57% of the population said they didn't belong to any church, or were agnostic or atheist. Some people did not answer the question about their religion.
Learning and Education
In Les Verrières, about 30.5% of the people have finished high school (non-mandatory upper secondary education). A smaller group, about 5.4%, have gone on to higher education, like a university or a specialized college.
In the Neuchâtel area, most towns offer two years of optional kindergarten. After that, children have five years of required primary school. Then, for the next four years of required secondary education, many students travel to larger schools outside their home town.
During the 2010–2011 school year, Les Verrières had one kindergarten class with 14 students. It also had two primary school classes with a total of 34 students.
In 2000, only 2 students came to Les Verrières for school from other towns. However, 62 students from Les Verrières went to schools outside the municipality.
See also
In Spanish: Les Verrières para niños
