Claro, Switzerland

For other uses, see Claro (disambiguation).

Claro
Country Switzerland Canton Ticino District Riviera 46°15′N 9°01′E / 46.25°N 9.017°E / 46.25; 9.017Coordinates: 46°15′N 9°01′E / 46.25°N 9.017°E / 46.25; 9.017
Population	2,570 (Dec 2009)[1]
- Density	121 /km2 (314 /sq mi)
Area	21.22 km2 (8.19 sq mi)
Elevation	270 m (886 ft)
Postal code	6702
SFOS number	5282
Surrounded by	Arbedo-Castione, Cresciano, Gnosca, Lumino, Preonzo, San Vittore (GR)
Twin towns	Valle di Cadore (Italy)
Website	www.comune-claro.ch Profile (Italian), SFSO statistics
Claro
View map of Claro

Claro is a municipality in the district of Riviera in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.

History

Claro is first mentioned in 1120 as locus Clari.^[2]

The area around Claro was inhabited prehistorically. During the Middle Ages, its location along the trade routes in the Riviera valley and near several other mountain valleys helped Claro to develop. Under the Lombards, Claro was probably a military and administrative center of medium importance. In the early 12th Century, it was a fief granted to a vassal of lower rank of the Archbishop of Milan. In 1120 these assets were transferred to the Cathedral of Milan. A noble family from Locarno settled in the nearby castle of Gnosca, and began to expand their influence in Claro. About 1200 the Cortauro building was built, presumably as the seat of a tax district of the Cathedral. The district, known as Castaldia, collected tithes, interest and taxes from the towns around Bellinzona and the upper valleys. In the 14th Century, the Castaldia was purchased by a private individual, and in the 15th Century it went to the Vicinanza of Claro.^[2]

The Castle of the Magoria, was built by a Capitanei from Locarno in Scubiago village around the end of the 13th Century. In the mid-15th Century, the Magoria family line in Bellinzona inherited the Locarno line's possessions in Claro. With a decrease in Milan's power in the Riviera valley, Claro acquired a Statute of Autonomy and became somewhat self governing. The Statute included some of the other towns in the Riviera and placed Claro, Cresciano and Osogna under a governor appointed by the Duke of Milan. In 1466 the village rights and laws were confirmed.^[2]

Following the Swiss Confederation invasion, in 1499 it became part of the bailiwick of Riviera, which was shared between Uri, Schwyz, and Nidwalden. It remained part of the bailiwick until 1798.

In the municipal area around Claro there are many churches. The two parish churches in the municipality are SS Nazaro e Celso in Scubiago (mentioned in the 13th century) and SS Sebastiano e Rocco (1567). Some of the other churches include; the church of S. Lorenzo in Cassero (mentioned in 13th century), S. Ambrogio in Brogo (first mentioned in 1404) and SS Maria e Satiro (mentioned in 1504). Above the village, St. Mary's Church was built. It was first occupied during the 13th century. In 1490, the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria Assunta was built next to the church. Today, the monastery has about 15-20 nuns. The founder of Santa Maria Assunta was a nun named Scolastica de Vincemalis from the monastery of San Quirico (also called Bocchetto) in Milan. The monastery was soon elevated to an abbey, and worked to provide an education for young girls. The oldest list of female students dates from the years 1560/61. In the course of the 17th Century, the building was expanded. A wood-carved Pietà from the 15th Century can be seen in the side chapel of the church. In 1559, by a papal decree, some of the nuns were charged with rebuilding the dilapidated monastery in Seedorf in Uri.^[2]

Since 14th Century, the settlement of Torrazza has been the local center for the storage and transportation of goods. Most of the villagers in Claro and surrounding settlements, however, lived from agriculture and seasonal migrations of livestock. Around the end of the 19th Century there were granite quarries in the village. The railway station was built in 1874. In recent decades, the area witnessed enormous changes, as many new houses were built on the former agricultural land. This development is due to the favorable geographic location near Bellinzona. Industrial plants developed along the valley floor. After the construction of the A2 motorway, the village was along the north-south traffic axis. By the early 1980s, there was modest tourism industry with two motels in the municipality.^[2]

Geography

Claro

Claro has an area, as of 1997^[update], of 21.22 square kilometers (8.19 sq mi). Of this area, 2.45 km² (0.95 sq mi) or 11.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 15.29 km² (5.90 sq mi) or 72.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.24 km² (0.48 sq mi) or 5.8% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.28 km² (0.11 sq mi) or 1.3% is either rivers or lakes and 1.48 km² (0.57 sq mi) or 7.0% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.6%. Out of the forested land, 66.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.9% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 7.5% is used for growing crops and 3.3% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 4.9% is unproductive vegetation and 2.1% is too rocky for vegetation.^[3]

The municipality is located in the Riviera district. It consists of the village of Claro and a number of scattered, small settlements along the left side of the Riviera valley.

Coat of arms

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Argent a crown rising croma coupeaux vert.^[4]

Demographics

Claro has a population (as of December 2009^[update]) of 2,570.^[1] As of 2008^[update], 16.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals.^[5] Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 22.7%.^[6] Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks Italian language (1,917 or 88.8%), with German being second most common (127 or 5.9%) and Serbo-Croatian being third (35 or 1.6%). There are 23 people who speak French and 1 people who speak Romansh.^[7]

As of 2008^[update], the gender distribution of the population was 49.1% male and 50.9% female. The population was made up of 1,010 Swiss men (39.3% of the population), and 251 (9.8%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,134 Swiss women (44.1%), and 175 (6.8%) non-Swiss women.^[8] Of the population in the municipality 751 or about 34.8% were born in Claro and lived there in 2000. There were 700 or 32.4% who were born in the same canton, while 247 or 11.4% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 387 or 17.9% were born outside of Switzerland.^[7]

In 2008^[update] there were 14 live births to Swiss citizens and 3 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 17 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 3 while the foreign population increased by 1. There were 2 Swiss men and 4 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 6 non-Swiss men who immigrated from another country to Switzerland and 4 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 33 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 9 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.7%.^[5]

The age distribution, as of 2009^[update], in Claro is; 313 children or 12.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 338 teenagers or 13.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 261 people or 10.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 360 people or 14.0% are between 30 and 39, 477 people or 18.6% are between 40 and 49, and 331 people or 12.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 234 people or 9.1% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 154 people or 6.0% are between 70 and 79, there are 102 people or 4.0% who are over 80.^[8]

As of 2000^[update], there were 955 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 990 married individuals, 118 widows or widowers and 96 individuals who are divorced.^[7]

As of 2000^[update] the average number of residents per living room was 0.63 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. 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.^[9] About 58.3% 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).^[10]

As of 2000^[update], there were 797 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household.^[6] There were 202 households that consist of only one person and 50 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 803 households that answered this question, 25.2% were households made up of just one person and 15 were adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 188 married couples without children, 325 married couples with children There were 47 single parents with a child or children. There were 20 households that were made up unrelated people and 6 households that were made some sort of institution or another collective housing.^[7]

In 2000^[update] there were 752 single family homes (or 83.6% of the total) out of a total of 899 inhabited buildings. There were 124 multi-family buildings (13.8%), along with 8 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (0.9%) and 15 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (1.7%). Of the single family homes 23 were built before 1919, while 98 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (212) were built between 1946 and 1960.^[11]

In 2000^[update] there were 1,133 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 425. There were 66 single room apartments and 273 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 796 apartments (70.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 318 apartments (28.1%) were seasonally occupied and 19 apartments (1.7%) were empty.^[11] As of 2007^[update], the construction rate of new housing units was 3.2 new units per 1000 residents.^[6] The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2008^[update], was 0.08%.^[6]

The historical population is given in the following chart:^[2][12]

Politics

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 26% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (25.59%), the SP (18.89%) and the Ticino League (15.4%). In the federal election, a total of 734 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 47.0%.^[13]

In the 2007^[update] Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 1,590 registered voters in Claro, of which 1,050 or 66.0% voted. 18 blank ballots and 3 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,029 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 228 or 22.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD+GenGiova (with 201 or 19.5%), the SSI (with 186 or 18.1%) and the LEGA (with 164 or 15.9%).^[14]

In the 2007^[update] Consiglio di Stato election, 7 blank ballots and 3 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,041 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the LEGA which received 229 or 22.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 210 or 20.2%), the PPD (with 209 or 20.1%) and the PS (with 186 or 17.9%).^[14]

Economy

As of 2007^[update], Claro had an unemployment rate of 2.83%. As of 2005^[update], there were 28 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 125 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 24 businesses in this sector. 238 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 49 businesses in this sector.^[6] There were 970 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 41.0% of the workforce.

In 2008^[update] the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 318. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 18, of which 16 were in agriculture and 2 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 90, of which 49 or (54.4%) were in manufacturing and 41 (45.6%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 210. In the tertiary sector; 20 or 9.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 14 or 6.7% were in the movement and storage of goods, 16 or 7.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 1.0% were in the information industry, 4 or 1.9% were the insurance or financial industry, 8 or 3.8% were technical professionals or scientists, 16 or 7.6% were in education and 91 or 43.3% were in health care.^[15]

In 2000^[update], there were 205 workers who commuted into the municipality and 699 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 3.4 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 3.4% of the workforce coming into Claro are coming from outside Switzerland.^[16] Of the working population, 6.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 72.1% used a private car.^[6]

Religion

From the 2000 census^[update], 1,720 or 79.7% were Roman Catholic, while 74 or 3.4% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 14 members of an Orthodox church (or about 0.65% of the population), and there were 55 individuals (or about 2.55% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There was 1 individual who was Jewish, and 17 (or about 0.79% of the population) who were Islamic. 183 (or about 8.48% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 95 individuals (or about 4.40% of the population) did not answer the question.^[7]

Education

In Claro about 806 or (37.3%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 195 or (9.0%) have completed additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule). Of the 195 who completed tertiary schooling, 58.5% were Swiss men, 29.2% were Swiss women, 8.2% were non-Swiss men and 4.1% were non-Swiss women.^[7]

In Claro there were a total of 510 students (as of 2009^[update]). The Ticino education system provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten and in Claro there were 73 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 147 students attended the standard primary schools and 4 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 133 students in the two year middle school, while 65 students were in the four year advanced program.

The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student).^[17] There were 29 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 52 who attend part-time.

The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 7 students in the professional program.^[18]

As of 2000^[update], there were 3 students in Claro who came from another municipality, while 154 residents attended schools outside the municipality.^[16]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Statistical Office, MS Excel document – Bilanz der ständigen Wohnbevölkerung nach Kantonen, Bezirken und Gemeinden (German) accessed 25 August 2010
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Claro in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
3. ^ Altitudine, superficie, secondo il genere di utilizzazione, rilevazione 1992/1997, e densità della popolazione, nel 2000 (Italian) accessed 25 October 2010
4. ^ Flags of the World.com accessed 08-February-2011
5. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Superweb database - Gemeinde Statistics 1981-2008 (German) accessed 19 June 2010
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 08-February-2011
7. ^ ^{a b c d e f} STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000 (German) accessed 2 February 2011
8. ^ ^{a b} 01.02.03 Popolazione residente permanente (Italian) accessed 23 November 2010
9. ^ Eurostat. "Housing (SA1)" (pdf). Urban Audit Glossary. 2007. p. 18. http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/en/index/international/22/lexi.Document.116365.pdf. Retrieved 12 February 2010. 
10. ^ Urban Audit Glossary pg 17
11. ^ ^{a b} Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB - Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 - Gebäude und Wohnungen (German) accessed 28 January 2011
12. ^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB Bevölkerungsentwicklung nach Region, 1850-2000 (German) accessed 29 January 2011
13. ^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office, Nationalratswahlen 2007: Stärke der Parteien und Wahlbeteiligung, nach Gemeinden/Bezirk/Canton (German) accessed 28 May 2010
14. ^ ^{a b} Elezioni cantonali: Gran Consiglio, Consiglio di Stato (Italian) accessed 23 November 2010
15. ^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB Betriebszählung: Arbeitsstätten nach Gemeinde und NOGA 2008 (Abschnitte), Sektoren 1-3 (German) accessed 28 January 2011
16. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb (German) accessed 24 June 2010
17. ^ EDK/CDIP/IDES (2010). KANTONALE SCHULSTRUKTUREN IN DER SCHWEIZ UND IM FÜRSTENTUM LIECHTENSTEIN / STRUCTURES SCOLAIRES CANTONALES EN SUISSE ET DANS LA PRINCIPAUTÉ DU LIECHTENSTEIN (Report). http://edudoc.ch/record/35128/files/Schulsystem_alle.pdf. Retrieved 24 June 2010. 
18. ^ Allievi e studenti, secondo il genere di scuola, anno scolastico 2009/2010 (Italian) accessed 23 November 2010

External links

• Official website (Italian)
• Claro in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.