Riddes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Riddes
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 Riddes
Location in Switzerland
Riddes
Location in Canton of Valais
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Valais | |
| District | Martigny | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 23.9 km2 (9.2 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 482 m (1,581 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 3,277 | |
| • Density | 137.11/km2 (355.1/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
1908
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| Surrounded by | Bagnes, Chamoson, Isérables, Leytron, Nendaz, Saillon, Saxon | |
Riddes is a town in Switzerland. It is located in the Valais canton, which is like a state in Switzerland. Riddes is part of the Martigny area.
Contents
A Look at Riddes' Past
Riddes has a long history! The town was first mentioned way back in the year 1001. Back then, it was called Ride. For a while, it was also known by its German name, Riden, but people don't use that name anymore.
Where is Riddes?
Riddes covers an area of about 23.9 square kilometers (about 9.2 square miles). A big part of this land, about 37.4%, is used for farming. Another large part, 37.1%, is covered by forests. About 9.1% of the land has buildings or roads, and 16.4% is land that can't be used for farming or building.
The town is located on the left side of the Rhone River. Riddes includes the main village of Riddes, a small settlement called Auddes, and two vacation spots: La Tzoumaz (in Mayens-de-Riddes) and Écône.
Riddes' Coat of Arms
The coat of arms for Riddes is quite special. It has three main parts, separated by wavy lines.
- One part is blue and shows a golden ear of wheat. Above it are two silver five-pointed stars.
- Another part is silver and features a black bridge with towers.
- The last part is red and has a golden grill.
People of Riddes
Riddes has a population of about 3,300 people. As of 2008, about 24% of the people living in Riddes were from other countries. Over the past 10 years (from 2000 to 2010), the number of people living in Riddes grew by about 25.4%. Most of this growth was because people moved there.
Languages Spoken
Most people in Riddes speak French. About 88.5% of the population speaks French as their main language. The second most common language is Portuguese, spoken by about 4.8% of the people. German is the third most common, spoken by about 3.3%. A few people also speak Italian or Romansh.
Who Lives in Riddes?
In 2008, about 51.6% of the people in Riddes were male, and 48.4% were female. Most of the people (about 42.1%) were born in Riddes and still lived there in 2000. About 29.8% were born in the same canton (Valais).
In 2000, children and teenagers (up to 19 years old) made up about 22.3% of the population. Adults (20 to 64 years old) made up 61.1%, and seniors (over 64 years old) made up 16.6%.
Homes and Households
In 2000, there were 831 homes in Riddes. On average, about 2.4 people lived in each home. Some homes had only one person, while others had five or more. Most apartments (49.3%) were lived in all year round. About 43.5% were used only during certain seasons, like for vacations.
Here's how the population of Riddes has grown over time:
Economy and Jobs
In 2010, the unemployment rate in Riddes was 6.6%. This means 6.6% of people looking for work couldn't find a job.
Types of Jobs
In 2008, there were 807 full-time jobs in Riddes. These jobs were in different areas:
- Primary Sector: About 93 jobs were in farming. This sector deals with getting raw materials from nature.
- Secondary Sector: About 272 jobs were in this sector. This includes manufacturing (making things in factories) and construction (building things).
- Tertiary Sector: About 442 jobs were in this sector. This includes jobs like sales, transportation, hotels, restaurants, finance, education, and healthcare. This sector provides services.
Commuting to Work
In 2000, 324 people traveled into Riddes for work, while 522 people who lived in Riddes traveled to other towns for work. This means more people leave Riddes for work than come into Riddes. About 12.3% of workers used public transportation, and 63.9% used a private car to get to work.
Religion in Riddes
Based on the 2000 census, most people in Riddes (about 86.9%) were Roman Catholic. About 4.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. There were also a few people who were Orthodox Christians, other Christians, Jewish, or Islamic. A small number of people were Buddhist or belonged to other religions. About 2.9% of the population did not belong to any church.
The International Seminary of Saint Pius X is located in Écône, which is part of Riddes. This seminary is a place where future priests for the Society of Saint Pius X are trained. It was started in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, and his tomb is there.
Education in Riddes
Many people in Riddes have a good education. About 30.8% of the population has finished high school (upper secondary education). About 6.5% have gone on to get higher education, like from a university.
In 2000, 75 students came to Riddes from other towns to go to school. At the same time, 113 students from Riddes went to schools outside the town.
Riddes also has a library called the Bibliothèque communale et scolaire. In 2008, this library had 6,867 books and other media. It loaned out 8,328 items that year. The library was open for 160 days in 2008, for about 8 hours each week.
Things to See and Do
Riddes is home to Les Fils Maye. This is a special place because it's one of the few wineries in the Valais canton that has been owned by the same family since the 1800s.
Images for kids
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Riddes
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Coat of arms of Riddes
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Flag of Riddes
See also
In Spanish: Riddes para niños
