Oberhof, Aargau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oberhof
Coat of arms
Oberhof Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Oberhof Location in Canton of Aargau Show map of Canton of Aargau
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Aargau
District	Laufenburg
Area
• Total	8.2 km2 (3.2 sq mi)
Elevation	472 m (1,549 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	570
• Density	69.5/km2 (180.0/sq mi)
Postal code	5062
Surrounded by	Densbüren, Erlinsbach, Kienberg (SO), Küttigen, Wölflinswil

Oberhof is a small town, also called a municipality, located in the Laufenburg area of the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.

A Look Back: Oberhof's History

Oberhof from above in 1953

Oberhof was first written about in 1630, where it was called Oberhoff. For a long time, Oberhof was part of another town called Wölflinswil. From 1408 until 1797, both towns were part of an area controlled by the powerful Habsburg family, known as the District of Rheinfelden.

In 1797, Oberhof became part of a French-controlled area called Fricktal. Then, in 1802, it joined the Canton of Fricktal. A canton is like a state in Switzerland. In 1803, this canton became part of the new Canton of Aargau. When Oberhof joined Aargau, it became its own separate municipality, no longer part of Wölflinswil.

Even though it became a separate town, Oberhof has always been part of the same church community as Wölflinswil. In 1818, a special church building, the chapel of St. Joseph, was built in Oberhof. It has a beautiful old altar from the Baroque period. The chapel was updated in 1975.

Oberhof's Location and Land

Oberhof covers an area of about 8.21 square kilometers (3.17 square miles). A big part of this land, about 52.1%, is used for farming. Forests cover another large section, about 41.4% of the area. The remaining 5.8% of the land has buildings or roads on it.

Most of the built-up area is for homes and other buildings (2.3%). Roads and other ways to get around make up 3.3%. In the forested areas, about 39.0% is dense forest, and a smaller part (2.4%) has orchards or small groups of trees. For farming, 17.7% of the land is used for growing crops. About 30.2% is used for pastures where animals graze, and 4.3% has orchards or vineyards.

The town is located in the Laufenburg area, in the upper part of the Fricktal, which is a valley along the Frick river. It is also on the road that goes over the Benkerjoch Pass. Oberhof itself is a haufendorf village. This means it's an old village that grew without a clear plan, so its buildings are close together around a central area. The town also includes the small village of Benken, which joined Oberhof in 1827, and several scattered farmhouses.

Oberhof's Coat of Arms

The official description of Oberhof's coat of arms is called a blazon. It says: Azure on a Base invected Vert a House Argent roofed windowed and doored Sable between two Pine Trees of the second trunked proper.

In simpler words, the coat of arms has a blue background. At the bottom, there's a green wavy line representing land. On this land, there is a silver (white) house with a black roof, windows, and door. On either side of the house, there are two green pine trees with brown trunks.

Who Lives in Oberhof?

Oberhof has a population of 564 people. A small part of the population, about 4.1%, are people from other countries. Over ten years, from 1997 to 2007, the number of people living in Oberhof grew by about 11.9%. Most people in Oberhof (98.2%) speak German. Albanian is the second most common language (1.0%), followed by French (0.6%).

Looking at the ages of people in Oberhof:

• About 13.0% are children aged 0 to 9 years old.
• About 13.8% are teenagers aged 10 to 19.
• About 10.2% are young adults aged 20 to 29.
• About 14.8% are adults aged 30 to 39.
• About 16.8% are adults aged 40 to 49.
• About 11.3% are adults aged 50 to 59.
• About 9.1% are seniors aged 60 to 69.
• About 7.1% are seniors aged 70 to 79.
• About 3.4% are seniors aged 80 to 89.
• About 0.5% are 90 years old or older.

In 2000, the average home had about 0.56 people per room. A "room" here means a space in a house that's at least 4 square meters (about 43 square feet), like bedrooms, living rooms, or kitchens. About 69.3% of homes were owned by the people living in them, meaning they didn't pay rent.

In 2000, there were 14 homes with 1 or 2 people, 70 homes with 3 or 4 people, and 92 homes with 5 or more people. On average, there were 2.7 people per home. In 2008, 104 homes (about 50.5% of all homes and apartments) were single-family houses. Only 1 apartment was empty, meaning almost all homes were occupied. In 2007, new homes were being built at a rate of 1.7 new homes for every 1000 residents.

In the 2007 national election, the most popular political party was the SVP, which got 45.3% of the votes. Other popular parties included the SP (17.1%), the CVP (15.8%), and the Green Party (7.7%).

About 74.9% of people in Oberhof (aged 25–64) have finished either high school or gone on to higher education, like a university or a special college called a Fachhochschule. In the 2008/2009 school year, 50 students attended primary school in Oberhof.

The number of people living in Oberhof over time is shown below:

How People Work in Oberhof

In 2007, the unemployment rate in Oberhof was 2.14%, which means very few people were looking for work.

In 2005, people in Oberhof worked in different types of jobs:

• Primary sector: 89 people worked in farming, forestry, or fishing. There were 27 businesses in this area.
• Secondary sector: 34 people worked in manufacturing or construction. There were 6 businesses in this area.
• Tertiary sector: 24 people worked in services, like shops, offices, or healthcare. There were 7 businesses in this area.

In 2000, 246 people who lived in Oberhof had jobs. Most of them (about 77.2%) worked outside of Oberhof. However, 26 people came into Oberhof to work. There were a total of 82 jobs in the town that required at least 6 hours of work per week. To get to work, 10.9% of people used public transportation, and 53.9% used a private car.

Beliefs in Oberhof

Based on the 2000 census, most people in Oberhof are Christian:

• 334 people (67.3%) were Roman Catholic.
• 105 people (21.2%) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
• 4 people (0.81%) belonged to the Christian Catholic faith.

See also

In Spanish: Oberhof (Argovia) para niños