Saint-Cergue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saint-Cergue
Saint-Cergue village
Coat of arms
Saint-Cergue Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Saint-Cergue Location in Canton of Vaud Show map of Canton of Vaud
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Vaud
District	Nyon
Area
• Total	24.28 km2 (9.37 sq mi)
Elevation	1,041 m (3,415 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	2,674
• Density	110.13/km2 (285.24/sq mi)
Postal code	1264
Surrounded by	Arzier, Gingins, Givrins, Les Rousses (FR-39), Prémanon (FR-39), Trélex

Saint-Cergue is a charming village and municipality in Switzerland. It's located in the Nyon district, within the Vaud canton. This beautiful area is known for its stunning views and outdoor activities.

A Look Back: Saint-Cergue's History

Saint-Cergue has a long history. It was first mentioned in official records way back in the year 1110. Back then, it was known as ecclesiam Sancti Cyrici.

Exploring Saint-Cergue's Geography

Panorama of the Saint-Cergue valley
(view as a 360° interactive panorama)

Couvaloup Panorama

Aerial view of Saint-Cergue in 1964

Saint-Cergue covers an area of about 24.3 square kilometers (about 9.4 square miles). A large part of this land, about 27.6%, is used for farming. Even more, about 66%, is covered by forests.

About 5.8% of the land is developed with buildings and roads. A very small part, about 0.5%, is unproductive land. Most of the forested land is dense forest. Some areas also have orchards or small groups of trees.

Saint-Cergue is located in the Nyon district. It sits on the road that goes over the Col de la Givrine mountain pass. The municipality includes the main village of Saint-Cergue. It also includes a part of the small village of La Cure. This part of La Cure has been Swiss since a treaty in 1862 and is right on the border with France.

Understanding Saint-Cergue's Coat of Arms

The official symbol, or coat of arms, for Saint-Cergue is quite interesting. It is split down the middle. On the right side, there is a black tower with silver lines. It has a silver five-pointed star on top. On the left side, there is a green pine tree. Both the tower and the tree stand on a green hill.

Who Lives in Saint-Cergue: Population Details

Hotel Franco-Swiss at the French-Swiss border

Town hall of Saint-Cergue

As of 2013, Saint-Cergue has a population of 2,259 people. In 2008, about 27.6% of the people living here were foreign nationals. Over ten years, from 1999 to 2009, the population grew by 25.1%. This growth was mostly due to people moving into the area.

Most people in Saint-Cergue speak French. In 2000, about 86.1% of the population spoke French. German was the second most common language, spoken by 4.9% of people. English was third, spoken by 4.2%.

Age Groups in Saint-Cergue

In 2009, the population of Saint-Cergue included:

• 8.1% children aged 0-9 years old.
• 13.3% teenagers aged 10-19 years old.
• 10.0% young adults aged 20-29 years old.
• 11.1% adults aged 30-39 years old.
• 22.2% adults aged 40-49 years old.
• 15.0% adults aged 50-59 years old.
• 11.4% seniors aged 60-69 years old.
• 5.1% seniors aged 70-79 years old.
• 3.2% seniors aged 80-89 years old.
• 0.6% seniors aged 90 and older.

Households and Homes

In 2000, there were 653 private households in Saint-Cergue. On average, each household had 2.3 people. About 30% of households had only one person. There were also 39 households with five or more people.

Most of the buildings in Saint-Cergue are single-family homes. In 2000, these made up about 77.8% of all inhabited buildings. There were also some multi-family buildings and buildings used for both homes and businesses.

The chart below shows how the population of Saint-Cergue has changed over time:

Sister Cities: Saint-Cergue's Twin Town

Saint-Cergue has a special connection with another town. It is twinned with Ferrières in Belgium. This means they share cultural and friendly ties.

How People Work: Saint-Cergue's Economy

Train at Saint-Cergue station

In 2010, the unemployment rate in Saint-Cergue was 7.6%. This means 7.6% of people looking for work couldn't find a job.

Jobs in Different Sectors

In 2008, people in Saint-Cergue worked in different types of jobs:

• Primary Sector: This includes jobs like farming and forestry. There were 13 people working in this sector.
• Secondary Sector: This includes jobs like manufacturing and construction. There were 42 people working in this sector. Most of these jobs were in construction.
• Tertiary Sector: This includes service jobs. There were 209 people working in this sector. This includes jobs in sales, transport, hotels, restaurants, education, and healthcare.

In total, 816 residents of Saint-Cergue were employed. About 40.4% of the workers were female.

Commuting to Work

In 2000, 184 workers came into Saint-Cergue for their jobs. However, 592 workers from Saint-Cergue traveled outside the municipality for work. This means more people leave Saint-Cergue for work than come in.

About 13.6% of the working population used public transportation to get to work. A much larger group, 69.4%, used a private car.

Getting Around: Transport in Saint-Cergue

Saint-Cergue train station

Saint-Cergue has its own train station. It is part of the Nyon–St-Cergue–Morez Railway. This railway uses a special narrow track and connects La Cure to Nyon.

Beliefs and Faith: Religion in Saint-Cergue

Church in Saint-Cergue

Based on the 2000 census, people in Saint-Cergue follow different religions:

• About 30.4% were Roman Catholic.
• About 30.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
• About 0.94% were members of an Orthodox church.
• About 7.62% belonged to other Christian churches.
• A small number were Jewish (0.69%) or Islamic (0.56%).
• Some people were Buddhist or belonged to other faiths.
• A significant portion, about 27.3%, did not belong to any church or were agnostic or atheist.

Learning and Schools: Education in Saint-Cergue

Many people in Saint-Cergue have a good education. About 35% of the population has completed non-mandatory upper secondary education. This is like high school after the required years. About 18.2% have gone on to higher education, like a university.

School System in Saint-Cergue

In the 2009/2010 school year, there were 213 students in the Saint-Cergue school district.

• Pre-school: The local government provides two years of optional pre-school.
• Primary School: Students attend primary school for four years. There were 101 students in the municipal primary school program.
• Lower Secondary School: This program lasts for six years. There were 109 students in these schools.
• A few students were home-schooled or attended other non-traditional schools.

In 2000, 26 students came to Saint-Cergue schools from other towns. Also, 186 residents of Saint-Cergue went to schools outside the municipality.

See also

In Spanish: Saint-Cergue para niños