Personico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Personico
Coat of arms
Personico Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Personico Location in Canton of Ticino Show map of Canton of Ticino
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Ticino
District	Leventina
Area
• Total	38.89 km2 (15.02 sq mi)
Elevation	325 m (1,066 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	326
• Density	8.383/km2 (21.71/sq mi)
Postal code	6744
Surrounded by	Biasca, Bodio, Frasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Giornico, Iragna, Lavertezzo, Pollegio

Personico is a small town, also called a municipality, in Switzerland. It is located in the canton of Ticino, which is a region in the southern part of the country. Personico is part of the Leventina district.

History of Personico

Personico was first written about in the year 1227. Back then, it was known as Prexonego. For a long time, during the Middle Ages, it was connected to the nearby village of Giornico.

Village Church and Its Story

The village church, named SS. Nazario e Celso, was first mentioned in 1256. It was part of the parish of Biasca until 1570. After that, it became its own independent church. The church has been repaired and made new a few times, in 1926 and again in 1978–79.

Old Industries and New Power

From 1736 to 1869, there was a glass factory working in Personico. Another smaller factory was built nearby in Lodrino in 1782. For a long time, the town's economy mainly depended on raising animals. But in the 1800s, people started mining local stone.

Later, between 1962 and 1967, a large hydroelectric power plant was built. This plant, called Nuova Biaschina, uses water to create electricity. A smaller power plant was also finished in 1999. In 2005, a small part of the jobs were in farming, but many more were in factories and making things.

Geography and Nature

Personico covers an area of about 39 square kilometers (15 square miles). A big part of this land, about 63.7%, is covered in forests. This means there are lots of trees!

How the Land is Used

Only a small amount of land, about 1.4%, is used for farming. About 1.6% of the land has buildings or roads on it. Rivers and lakes make up about 2.0% of the area. The rest, about 28.9%, is land that isn't used for farming or building, like rocky areas.

Most of the forested land is thick forest. Some areas have smaller trees and bushes. All the water in Personico is flowing water, like rivers.

Location in the Valley

The town is located in the Leventina district. It sits on the left side of the lower Leventina valley.

Personico's Coat of Arms

A blazon is a special description of a coat of arms. Personico's coat of arms is described as: Or a chamois' head couped Sable and in chief two mullets Gules. This means it has a gold background with a black chamois (a type of goat-antelope) head. At the top, there are two red stars.

People of Personico

Personico has a population of about 361 people. As of 2008, about 19.8% of the people living there were from other countries.

Languages Spoken

Most people in Personico speak Italian, which is 95.5% of the population. The second most common language is Serbo-Croatian, spoken by 1.7% of the people. A small number of people, 0.8%, speak German.

Age Groups in Town

Looking at the ages of people in Personico (as of 2009):

• About 9.0% are children aged 0 to 9 years old.
• About 11.2% are teenagers aged 10 to 19.
• Adults aged 20 to 59 make up about 50.3% of the population.
• Older adults, aged 60 and above, make up about 29.5% of the population.

Homes in Personico

In 2000, there were 148 private homes in Personico. On average, about 2.3 people lived in each home. Most of the buildings were single-family homes.

The historical population of Personico is shown below:

Important Heritage Site

The Centrale Elettrica Comandi Biaschina is a special building in Personico. It is the control station for the Biaschina power plant. This building is listed as a very important heritage site for Switzerland.

Economy and Jobs

In 2007, the unemployment rate in Personico was 3.98%. This means a small number of people who wanted jobs didn't have one.

What People Do for Work

As of 2005, people in Personico worked in different areas:

• About 11 people worked in the primary economic sector, which includes farming.
• About 34 people worked in the secondary sector, which means they worked in factories or made things.
• About 31 people worked in the tertiary sector, which includes services like shops or offices.

Many people who live in Personico travel to other towns for work. In 2000, 121 people left Personico to work elsewhere, while only 18 people came into Personico for work. Most people used a private car to get to work.

Religion in Personico

Based on a census in 2000, most people in Personico, about 86.7%, were Roman Catholic. A small number, about 0.8%, belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Some people belonged to other churches, and a few did not state their religion.

Education in Personico

Many adults in Personico, about 63.2% of those aged 25 to 64, have finished high school or gone on to higher education like university.

Schools in Town

In 2009, there were 59 students in Personico. The education system in Ticino offers different levels of schooling:

• Kindergarten: There were 10 children in kindergarten. This is not required but helps kids get ready for school.
• Primary School: This program lasts for five years. There were 15 students attending standard primary schools.
• Lower Secondary School: Students can choose between a two-year middle school or a four-year program to prepare for higher education. There were 21 students in the two-year middle school and 6 students in the four-year advanced program.
• Upper Secondary School: This level prepares students for jobs or university. Some students attend school while also doing an internship or apprenticeship. There were 3 students attending full-time vocational school and 4 attending part-time.

Many students from Personico, about 30 in 2000, went to schools outside the municipality.

See also

In Spanish: Personico para niños