Villarepos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Villarepos
Former municipality of Switzerland
Coat of arms
Villarepos Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Villarepos Location in Canton of Fribourg Show map of Canton of Fribourg
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Fribourg
District	See
Area
• Total	4.74 km2 (1.83 sq mi)
Elevation	493 m (1,617 ft)
Population  (Dec 2015)
• Total	611
• Density	128.90/km2 (333.9/sq mi)
Postal code	1583
Surrounded by	Avenches (VD), Clavaleyres (BE), Courgevaux, Courlevon, Donatyre (VD), Faoug (VD), Misery-Courtion, Wallenried

Villarepos (also called Arpitan: Velâr-Repôs in a local French dialect) was once a small town in Switzerland. It was located in the Canton of Fribourg, which is like a state or region in Switzerland. Villarepos was part of the See district.

In 2017, Villarepos joined with two other towns, Barberêche and Wallenried. They all became part of a larger town called Courtepin.

History of Villarepos

Villarepos was first written about in the year 1332. Back then, it was called Villarepot. It also had a German name, Ruppertswil, but this name is not used much anymore.

Geography and Landscape

Villarepos covered an area of about 4.76 square kilometers (1.84 square miles). This is how the land was used:

• Over half of the land (57.6%) was used for farming.
• About a third (33.6%) was covered by forests.
• The rest (8.0%) had buildings or roads.

Most of the built-up areas were homes and other buildings (4.6%). Roads and other transport areas made up 1.5%. Power and water systems also took up 1.5% of the land.

In the forests, 30.7% of the total land was dense forest. Another 2.9% had orchards or small groups of trees. For farming, 32.6% was used for growing crops. Pastures for animals made up 23.1%. A small part (1.9%) was used for orchards or vineyards.

The former town included the villages of Villarepos and Chandossel. It also had a tiny village called Plan. On January 1, 1983, the village of Chandossel became part of Villarepos.

Villarepos Coat of Arms

The coat of arms for Villarepos has a special design. It shows a silver tower with battlements on a red background. In front of the tower, there is a golden boar (a type of wild pig) standing up. The boar has silver tusks.

Population and People

In 2015, Villarepos had a population of 611 people. About 6.3% of the people living there in 2008 were from other countries. Over ten years (from 2000 to 2010), the population grew by 21.9%. Most of this growth (27.9%) was from people moving into the town. Births and deaths made up 2.7% of the change.

In 2000, most people (78.4%) in Villarepos spoke French as their main language. The second most common language was German (19.4%). A small number of people (1.3%) spoke English.

In 2008, the population was almost evenly split between males (50.3%) and females (49.7%). Most people were Swiss citizens.

In 2000, about 35.5% of the people were born in Villarepos. Another 26.0% were born in the same canton (Fribourg). About 28.9% were born elsewhere in Switzerland. Only 5.7% were born outside of Switzerland.

In 2000, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) made up 24.7% of the population. Adults (20–64 years old) were 58.9%. Seniors (over 64 years old) made up 16.3%.

The chart below shows how the population of Villarepos has changed over time:

Economy and Jobs

In 2010, the unemployment rate in Villarepos was 3.8%. In 2008, there were 30 people working in the primary sector, which mostly means farming. There were 10 businesses in this area.

Seven people worked in the secondary sector, which includes manufacturing. There were 3 businesses in this sector.

Twenty-four people worked in the tertiary sector, which includes services. There were 8 businesses in this sector.

In 2008, there were 46 full-time equivalent jobs in Villarepos.

• 18 jobs were in farming.
• 6 jobs were in manufacturing.
• 22 jobs were in the service sector.

* 2 of these were in sales or car repair. * 1 was in moving and storing goods. * 7 were in hotels or restaurants. * 2 were in education.

In 2000, 15 workers came into Villarepos for their jobs. However, 170 workers left Villarepos to work in other towns. This means more people left to work than came in. Most people (74.6%) used a private car to get to work. A small number (2.6%) used public transportation.

Religion in Villarepos

Based on a 2000 survey:

• 270 people (59.6%) were Roman Catholic.
• 105 people (23.2%) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
• A small number (3.97%) belonged to other Christian churches.
• One person was Islamic.
• 47 people (10.38%) did not belong to any church or were agnostic or atheist.
• 20 people (4.42%) did not answer the question about their religion.

Education System

In Villarepos, about 159 people (35.1%) had finished upper secondary education. This is like high school. Also, 42 people (9.3%) had completed higher education, such as going to a university.

The Canton of Fribourg has a specific school system:

• One year of optional Kindergarten.
• Six years of Primary school.
• Three years of required lower Secondary school. Students are grouped by their abilities.
• After lower Secondary, students can choose a three or four-year upper Secondary school. This can be a gymnasium (to prepare for university) or a vocational program (for job skills).
• After upper Secondary, students can go to a Tertiary school or start an apprenticeship (learning a trade on the job).

During the 2010-2011 school year, 24 students attended 2 classes in Villarepos. A total of 83 students from Villarepos went to school, either in the town or nearby.

• There were 2 kindergarten classes with 24 students in Villarepos.
• Villarepos did not have primary school classes, so 49 students went to primary school in a nearby town.
• There were no lower secondary classes in Villarepos. 16 students went to lower secondary school in a nearby town.
• There were no upper secondary or vocational classes in Villarepos. One upper secondary student and 7 vocational students went to classes in another town.
• There were no non-university tertiary classes in Villarepos. One non-university tertiary student and 2 specialized tertiary students went to classes in another town.

In 2000, 4 students came to Villarepos for school from other towns. At the same time, 29 students from Villarepos went to schools outside the town.