Val-de-Ruz District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Val-de-Ruz District
District du Val-de-Ruz
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District
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| Country |  Switzerland |
| Canton |  Neuchâtel |
| Capital | Cernier |
| Dissolved | 1 January 2018 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 128.02 km2 (49.43 sq mi) |
| Population
(2017)
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| • Total | 17,411 |
| • Density | 136.002/km2 (352.244/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Municipalities | 2 |
The Val-de-Ruz District was a special area in the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. It was one of six districts in the canton. This district was made up of the Val de Ruz region and the nearby Jura Mountains.
The main town, or capital, of the district was Cernier. In 2017, about 17,411 people lived there. On January 1, 2018, the district system in Neuchâtel changed. Val-de-Ruz District no longer exists as a separate district.
Contents
What Towns Were in Val-de-Ruz?
The Val-de-Ruz District included different towns and villages, which are called municipalities. Here are the main ones:
| Coat of Arms | Municipality | Population (31 December 2020) |
Area km² |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Valangin | 526 | 3.76 |
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Val-de-Ruz | 17,143 | 124.31 |
| Total | 17,411 | 128.02 |
How Towns Changed Over Time
Sometimes, smaller towns join together to form a bigger one. This happened in Val-de-Ruz. On January 1, 2013, many municipalities merged.
These towns became part of the new, larger municipality called Val-de-Ruz:
- Boudevilliers
- Cernier
- Chézard-Saint-Martin
- Coffrane
- Dombresson
- Engollon
- Fenin-Vilars-Saules
- Fontainemelon
- Fontaines
- Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane
- Les Hauts-Geneveys
- Montmollin
- Le Pâquier
- Savagnier
- Villiers
Who Lives in Val-de-Ruz?
Demographics is the study of populations. It looks at things like how many people live somewhere, their age, gender, and what languages they speak.
Population and Languages
As of 2017, the Val-de-Ruz area had 17,411 people. Most people in the district speak French. About 90.5% of the population speaks French as their main language.
Other languages spoken include:
Where People Were Born
In 2000, about 22.9% of the people living in Val-de-Ruz were also born there. Many others, about 37.5%, were born in the same canton (Neuchâtel). About 20.3% came from other parts of Switzerland. Finally, 16.3% of the people were born outside of Switzerland.
How the Population Grew
The number of people living in Val-de-Ruz has changed over many years. For example, in 1850, there were about 7,197 people. By 1900, the population had grown to 9,442. It continued to increase, reaching 14,528 people by the year 2000.
How Val-de-Ruz Voted
Politics is about how a place is governed. In Switzerland, people vote in federal elections to choose their leaders.
In the 2007 federal election, people in Val-de-Ruz voted for different political parties. The most popular party was the Social Democratic Party (SP). They received about 24.22% of the votes.
Other popular parties included:
- Swiss People's Party (SVP): 23.45% of votes
- LPS Party: 16.18% of votes
- FDP: 14.75% of votes
About 5,683 people voted in this election. This means that 54.8% of the people who could vote actually did.
What Religions Are Practiced?
In 2000, people in Val-de-Ruz followed different religions:
- About 23.7% were Roman Catholic.
- About 45.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
- Some people belonged to other Christian churches, like Orthodox or Christian Catholic.
- A small number of people were Jewish (0.06%).
- About 2.19% of the population was Islamic.
- A few people were Buddhist or belonged to other faiths.
- About 21.18% of the people said they did not belong to any church. They might be agnostic (not sure if God exists) or atheist (do not believe in God).
Learning and Education
Education is very important in Switzerland. In Val-de-Ruz, many people have completed higher levels of schooling.
Schooling Levels
- About 36.8% of the population finished upper secondary education. This is like high school.
- About 13.4% went on to get even more education. This could be at a university or a Fachhochschule (a type of professional university).
How Schools Work in Neuchâtel
In the canton of Neuchâtel, the education system usually works like this:
- Children often go to two years of non-mandatory kindergarten.
- Then, they have five years of mandatory primary education.
- After primary school, there are four more years of mandatory secondary education. Students often travel to larger secondary schools for this.
During the 2010-2011 school year, Val-de-Ruz had:
- 20 kindergarten classes with 354 students.
- 59 primary classes with 1,089 students.
See also
In Spanish: Distrito de Val-de-Ruz para niños
