Gordola () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the district of

Locarno , neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gambarogno, Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Tegna, Tenero-Contra , twintowns =* Gagra, Georgia * Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic ...

in the canton of

Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

History

Gordola is first mentioned in 1200 as ''Gordora''. In 1219, it was mentioned as ''Gordolla/e''. Gordola was located near major roads throughout its history. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, the village was on the hills as the valley floor was covered in swamps. In the 11th-12th Centuries, a castle was built on the shore of

Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; it, Lago Maggiore ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh Maggior; pms, Lagh Magior; literally 'Greater Lake') or Verbano (; la, Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest la ...

for the

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

lord appointed by the

Bishop of Como The Diocese of Como ( la, Dioecesis Comensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It was established in the Fourth Century. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of ...

. The castle had disappeared by the 14th Century. The ''Capitanei'' of

owned land and were landlords in Gordola. Within the territory of Locarno, Gordola was the only '' Vicinanza'', which could choose its own

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

. It also held the right to designate a member of the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

council. Starting in the 14th Century, many residents of the Verzasca valley traveled to Gordola to spend the winters at the lake. This gradually evolved into a traditional

seasonal migration Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of Migration (ecology), migration in ecology. It is found in all major animal groups, including Bird migrat ...

. Starting in 1695 Gordola was divided into two districts (''squadre''); those of the "original" and the "new" residents (Vicini). The two groups took turns administering the municipality. The former

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of SS Peter and Vincenzo was in Tenero and formed a kind of

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

, until 1898, when the provost was moved to the church of S. Antonio Abate. The church of S. Antonio Abate had existed since the 16th Century, but was destroyed in 1829 by a flood and then was subsequently rebuilt. There was a mixed

Humiliati The Humiliati (Italian ''Umiliati'') were an Italian religious order of men formed probably in the 12th century. It was suppressed by a papal bull in 1571 though an associated order of women continued into the 20th century. Origin The origin of ...

order monastery (Santa Maria) in Gordola. It was founded in the 12th Century and around the late 15th Century closed. Historically, nearly the entire population were farmers and ranchers. However, by 2000, only a very small proportion of the population worked in agriculture and about one third of the population worked in the municipal borders. The district Motto-Rongia is a historic protected village center.

Geography

Gordola has an area, , of . Of this area, or 24.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 61.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 16.6% is settled (buildings or roads), or 6.8% is either rivers or lakes and or 1.4% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 11.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.3%. Out of the forested land, 59.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 6.5% is used for growing crops, while 6.5% is used for orchards or vine crops and 11.1% is used for alpine pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 3.8% is in lakes and 3.0% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 1.1% is unproductive vegetation. The municipality is located in the Locarno district at the end of the Verzasca valley on the left bank of the river. It consists of the village of Gordola and a portion of Terricciole.

Coat of arms

The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

of the municipal

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

is ''Per saltire gules and azure overall a salire or.''

Demographics

Gordola has a population () of . , 17.0% of the population are resident foreign nationals.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Superweb database – Gemeinde Statistics 1981-2008
. Retrieved 19 June 2010 Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 15.9%. Most of the population () speaks

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

(84.2%), with

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

being second most common (10.2%) and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

being third (1.2%).Swiss Federal Statistical Office
. Retrieved 2 December 2010 Of the Swiss national languages (), 396 speak

, 47 people speak

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, 3,265 people speak

, and 4 people speak Romansh. The remainder (166 people) speak another language.Popolazione residente, secondo la lingua principale e la religione, nel 2000
. Retrieved 23 November 2010 , the gender distribution of the population was 48.5% male and 51.5% female. The population was made up of 1,725 Swiss men (39.2% of the population), and 406 (9.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,935 Swiss women (44.0%), and 332 (7.5%) non-Swiss women. In there were 29 live births to Swiss citizens and 2 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 25 deaths of Swiss citizens and 4 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 4 while the foreign population decreased by 2. There were 5 Swiss men and 3 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 11 non-Swiss men and 9 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 49 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 27 people. This represents a

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

of 0.5%. The age distribution, , in Gordola is; 417 children or 9.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 490 teenagers or 11.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 468 people or 10.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 602 people or 13.7% are between 30 and 39, 723 people or 16.4% are between 40 and 49, and 543 people or 12.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 582 people or 13.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 381 people or 8.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 192 people or 4.4% who are over 80.01.02.03 Popolazione residente permanente
. Retrieved 23 November 2010 , there were 1,652 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. there were 889 single family homes (or 66.0% of the total) out of a total of 1,347 inhabited buildings. There were 254 two family buildings (18.9%) and 122 multi-family buildings (9.1%). There were also 82 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.29%. there were 2,110 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 788. There were 78 single room apartments and 433 apartments with five or more rooms. 09.02.02 Abitazioni
. Retrieved 23 November 2010 Of these apartments, a total of 1,646 apartments (78.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 439 apartments (20.8%) were seasonally occupied and 25 apartments (1.2%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 7.8 new units per 1000 residents. The historical population is given in the following table:

Politics

In the

2007 federal election This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, although they are not elections. By-elections are not i ...

the most popular party was the FDP which received 26.74% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (25.47%), the SP (18.69%) and the SVP (12.63%). In the federal election, a total of 1,110 votes were cast, and the

voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Unive ...

was 39.3%. In the '' Gran Consiglio'' election, there were a total of 2,790 registered voters in Gordola, of which 1,712 or 61.4% voted. 23 blank ballots and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,687 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD+GenGiova which received 359 or 21.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the SSI (with 337 or 20.0%), the PLRT (with 309 or 18.3%) and the PS (with 266 or 15.8%). Elezioni cantonali: Gran Consiglio, Consiglio di Stato
. Retrieved 23 November 2010 In the ''Consiglio di Stato'' election, 13 blank ballots and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,698 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the LEGA which received 387 or 22.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 376 or 22.1%), the PS (with 299 or 17.6%) and the SSI (with 277 or 16.3%).

Economy

, Gordola had an unemployment rate of 3.62%. , there were 54 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 19 businesses involved in this sector. 431 people were employed in the

secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construction. ...

and there were 43 businesses in this sector. 644 people were employed in the

tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...

, with 123 businesses in this sector. There were 1,743 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 40.6% of the workforce. , there were 1,024 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,183 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 1.2 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 18.4% of the workforce coming into Gordola are coming from outside Switzerland.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Statweb
. Retrieved 24 June 2010 Of the working population, 6.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 67.2% used a private car. , there were 5 hotels in Gordola with a total of 43 rooms and 90 beds.

Religion

From the , 3,210 or 82.8% were

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, while 297 or 7.7% belonged to the

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...

. There are 287 individuals (or about 7.40% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 84 individuals (or about 2.17% of the population) did not answer the question.

Education

The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gordola about 69.5% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a ''

Fachhochschule A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts ...

''). In Gordola there were a total of 788 students (). The Ticino

education system The educational system generally refers to the structure of all institutions and the opportunities for obtaining education within a country. It includes all pre-school institutions, starting from family education, and/or early childhood education ...

provides up to three years of non-mandatory

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

and in Gordola there were 117 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the village, 224 students attended the standard primary schools and 9 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 193 students in the two-year middle school and 6 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 80 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). There were 35 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 110 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 14 students in the professional program. , there were 381 students in Gordola who came from another municipality, while 186 residents attended schools outside the municipality.

Crime

In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the

Swiss Criminal Code , french: Code pénal suisse (CP), it, Codice penale svizzero (CP), rm, Cudesch penal svizzer , citation = , territorial_extent = Switzerland , enacted_by = Federal Assembly of Switzerland , date_enacted = 20 Decemb ...

(running from murder, robbery and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Gordola was 37.1 per thousand residents. This rate is lower than average, at only 69.0% of the rate in the district, 67.7% of the cantonal rate and 57.4% of the average rate in the entire country. During the same period, the rate of drug crimes was 4.5 per thousand residents. This rate is also lower than average, at only 39.5% of the rate in the district, 51.1% of the rate in the canton and 45.5% of the national rate. The rate of violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 0 per thousand residents.Statistical Atlas of Switzerland
Retrieved 5 April 2016

References

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