Fontanezier

Fontanezier is first mentioned in 1403 as Fontanisy.[2]

Fontanezier has an area, as of 2009, of 3.74 square kilometers (1.44 sq mi). Of this area, 1.82 km² (0.70 sq mi) or 48.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.86 km² (0.72 sq mi) or 49.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.09 km² (22 acres) or 2.4% is settled (buildings or roads).[3]

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.8%. Out of the forested land, 42.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 7.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 13.6% is used for growing crops and 17.9% is pastures and 16.6% is used for alpine pastures.[3]

The municipality was part of the Grandson District until it was dissolved on 31 August 2006, and Fontanezier became part of the new district of Jura-Nord Vaudois.[4]

The municipality is located in the foothills of the Jura Mountains. It consists of the village of Fontanezier at an elevation of 825 m (2,707 ft) and the hamlet of Le Crozat (at 1,364 m (4,475 ft)).

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Paly of six Argent and Azure, on a bend Gules three Buckles Or.[5]

Fontanezier has a population (as of 2009) of 58.[6] As of 2008, 1.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals.[7] Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of -17.1%. It has changed at a rate of -10% due to migration and at a rate of -7.1% due to births and deaths.[6]

Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks French (62 or 88.6%), with German being second most common (7 or 10.0%) and Portuguese being third (1 or 1.4%).[8]

Of the population in the municipality 28 or about 40.0% were born in Fontanezier and lived there in 2000. There were 17 or 24.3% who were born in the same canton, while 19 or 27.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 6 or 8.6% were born outside of Switzerland.[8]

In 2008 there were live births to Swiss citizens and 1 death of a Swiss citizen. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 1 while the foreign population remained the same. The total Swiss population remained the same in 2008 and the non-Swiss population remained the same. This represents a population growth rate of 0.0%.[7]

The age distribution, as of 2009, in Fontanezier is; 2 children or 3.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 8 teenagers or 13.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 7 people or 12.1% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 6 people or 10.3% are between 30 and 39, 7 people or 12.1% are between 40 and 49, and 7 people or 12.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 10 people or 17.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 6 people or 10.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 3 people or 5.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 2 people or 3.4% who are 90 and older.[9]

As of 2000, there were 28 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 35 married individuals, 2 widows or widowers and 5 individuals who are divorced.[8]

As of 2000 the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.61 per room.[6] In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics.[10] About 80.8% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage or a rent-to-own agreement).[11]

As of 2000, there were 26 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.7 persons per household.[6] There were 3 households that consist of only one person and 2 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 27 households that answered this question, 11.1% were households made up of just one person and there was 1 adult who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 11 married couples without children, 8 married couples with children There were 2 single parents with a child or children. There was 1 household that was made up of unrelated people and 1 household that was made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.[8]

In 2000 there were 19 single family homes (or 61.3% of the total) out of a total of 31 inhabited buildings. There were 1 multi-family buildings (3.2%), along with 9 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (29.0%) and 2 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (6.5%). Of the single family homes 11 were built before 1919. The most multi-family homes (1) were built before 1919.[12]

In 2000 there were 34 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 3 rooms of which there were 9. There were 2 single room apartments and 12 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 26 apartments (76.5% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 6 apartments (17.6%) were seasonally occupied and 2 apartments (5.9%) were empty.[12] As of 2009, the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents.[6] The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2010, was 0%.[6]

The historical population is given in the following chart:[2][13]

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 39.29% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP (23.46%), the Green Party (21.23%) and the FDP (5.96%). In the federal election, a total of 30 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 57.7%.[14]

As of  2010, Fontanezier had an unemployment rate of 0%. As of 2008, there were 6 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 2 businesses involved in this sector. No one was employed in the secondary sector or the tertiary sector.[6] There were 32 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.8% of the workforce.

In 2008 the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 5, all of which were in agriculture.[15]

In 2000, there were 23 workers who commuted away from the municipality.[16] Of the working population, 25% used public transportation to get to work, and 56.3% used a private car.[6]

From the 2000 census, 4 or 5.7% were Roman Catholic, while 51 or 72.9% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 member of an Orthodox church. There was 1 individual who was Islamic. 12 (or about 17.14% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 1 individual (or about 1.43% of the population) did not answer the question.[8]

In Fontanezier about 20 or (28.6%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 11 or (15.7%) have completed additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule). Of the 11 who completed tertiary schooling, 72.7% were Swiss men, 27.3% were Swiss women.[8]

In the 2009/2010 school year there were a total of 5 students in the Fontanezier school district. In the Vaud cantonal school system, two years of non-obligatory pre-school are provided by the political districts.[17] During the school year, the political district provided pre-school care for a total of 578 children of which 359 children (62.1%) received subsidized pre-school care. The canton's primary school program requires students to attend for four years. There were 2 students in the municipal primary school program. The obligatory lower secondary school program lasts for six years and there were 3 students in those schools.[18]

As of 2000, there were 11 students from Fontanezier who attended schools outside the municipality.[16]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fontanezier.

• Fontanezier in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.