Mettmenstetten

Mettmenstetten
Country Switzerland Canton Zurich District Affoltern 47°15′N 8°28′E / 47.25°N 8.467°E / 47.25; 8.467Coordinates: 47°15′N 8°28′E / 47.25°N 8.467°E / 47.25; 8.467
Population	4,245 (Dec 2010)[1]
- Density	324 /km2 (839 /sq mi)
Area	13.11 km2 (5.06 sq mi)
Elevation	460 m (1,509 ft)
Postal code	8932
SFOS number	0009
Mayor	Hans Hefti
Surrounded by	Aeugst am Albis, Affoltern am Albis, Kappel am Albis, Knonau, Maschwanden, Obfelden, Rifferswil
Website	www.mettmenstetten.ch SFSO statistics
Mettmenstetten
View map of Mettmenstetten

Mettmenstetten is a village in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.

Mettmenstetten church

Origin of the name

The town took its name from being "In the middle". It was listed as being in the middle of two other locations (the exact identity of the locations have been lost in time). Additionally, people used to overnight at Mettmenstetten when they were traveling between Zurich and Luzern, as this town is about in the middle of the route.^[2]

Mettmenstetten is first mentioned in 1116 as Metemunstat.^[3] It is mentioned as Mettmonstetten in 1240 and as Metamonstetten or Methemonstettin in 1255.^[2]

Geography

Mettmenstetten has an area of 13.1 km² (5.1 sq mi). Of this area, 67.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 13.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).^[4]

It is located about 11 minutes driving distance from the City of Zug, between Zug and Affoltern.

The municipality includes the village of Mettmenstetten, with the two core sections of Ober- and Untermettmenstetten as well as the other sections; Dachlissen, Eigi, Grossholz, Herferswil, Hübscheren, Rossau and Wissenbach. It is located an elevation of 460 m (1,510 ft).

Demographics

Mettmenstetten has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 4,245.^[1] As of 2007^[update], 10.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 18%. Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks German (92.8%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.7%) and Italian being third ( 1.6%).

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 35.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (18%), the CSP (12.2%) and the FDP (11.4%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000^[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 63.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 9.7%. In Mettmenstetten about 83.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).

Mettmenstetten has an unemployment rate of 1.3%. As of 2005^[update], there were 154 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 54 businesses involved in this sector. 461 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 45 businesses in this sector. 599 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 105 businesses in this sector.^[4] The historical population is given in the following table:^[3]

year	population
1836	1,405
1850	1,450
1900	1,396
1950	1,710
2000	3,724

Education

The city offers daycare, kindergarten, primary and secondary school. There are 90 kids in the kindergarten, 310 in the primary school and 213 in the secondary school.^[5]

Transport

Mettmenstetten is a stop of the Zürich S-Bahn on the line S9. Its train station is a 36 minute ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof. It is only 10 minutes driving-distance to A4 highway that connects Zürich with Luzern.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Canton of Zurich Statistical Office (German) accessed 29 March 2011
2. ^ ^{a b} Mettmenstetten website-Origin of the name and Coat of Arms (German) accessed 24 July 2009
3. ^ ^{a b} Mettmenstetten in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
4. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 24-Jul-2009
5. ^ Mettmenstetten website-Numbers (German) accessed 24 July 2009

External links

• Official website (German)