thumb|Berikon

Berikon is a municipality in the district of Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.

The village lies on a hill above and to the east of the Reuss Valley, covering part of the Mutschellen Pass. This municipality is bounded by Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg, Widen, Zufikon, and Oberwil-Lieli, all in canton Aargau, and shares a boundary with the canton of Zürich (district of Dietikon) to the east.

History

thumb|left|Berikon

thumb|Aerial view (1966)

Berikon was mentioned for the first time in 1153 as a court place "Berchheim". In 1184 it was mentioned as Berchein.

Demographics

At the end of 2008 Berikon had 4,491 residents, of whom 591 (13.2%) were non-Swiss, and 50.2% were female. Berikon had a population of , of which 13.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. According to the federal census of 2000, the 4358 residents in 1821 households included only 464 foreigners (10.6%).

the population of 5,039 included 3,939 Swiss, with 1,100 foreign nationals (21.85%). Most of the population () speaks German (92.6%), with Italian being second-most common (1.6%) and French being third (1.0%).

The age distribution, , in Berikon was; 457 children or 10.2% of the population were between 0 and 9 years old and 517 teenagers or 11.5% were between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 581 people or 12.9% of the population were between 20 and 29 years old. 651 people or 14.5% were between 30 and 39, 813 people or 18.1% were between 40 and 49, and 650 people or 14.5% were between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution was 485 people or 10.8% of the population were between 60 and 69 years old, 237 people or 5.3% were between 70 and 79, there were 87 people or 1.9% who were between 80 and 89, and there were 13 people or 0.3% 90 and older.

the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.57 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 34.9% 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). , there were 127 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 952 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 684 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.40 individuals. There were a total of 17 empty apartments for a 0.9% vacancy rate.

Religion

thumb|upright|Village church of Berikon

From the , 2,030 or 46.6% were Roman Catholic, while 1,545 or 35.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 3 individuals (or about 0.07% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic faith.

Administration

The legislative function is exercised by the or town meeting. The executive in Berikon is handled by a five-member (town council), the members of which are elected by a plurality voting system for a four-year term. The leads and represents the village, as well as performing the tasks determined by the , as well as those delegated by the canton and federal agencies.

Minor legal and civil disagreements fall under the jurisdiction of the (similar to a Justice of the Peace) of Bremgarten.

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 34.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP (18.7%), the CVP (18.1%) and the FDP (14.1%). Of the working population, 19.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 56.9% used a private car. Buses of two Postauto lines, each with a terminus at Berikon-Widen station, connect the Mutschellen communities with Baden to the north and Zürich at the Wiedikon station to the east. The No. 350 Postauto line to Zürich Wiedikon also affords a good connection in Birmensdorf with the S9 and S15 train lines to Zürich, Affoltern am Albis, and Zug.

Before the A1 expressway was built, the Mutschellen pass was the main connection for auto traffic between Zürich and Bern. Now, the road to Bern ( or ) is still an important carrier of road traffic, particularly commuters. With the completion of the A4 expressway much more traffic (at least 5% by 2015) was expected through Berikon for travellers heading for the interchange at Birmensdorf (approx. 3 km away). Berikon performed roadwork with a view to reduce the flow of transit vehicles. The project implementing these remedial measures is planned to last some 2.5 years and was to be completed in autumn of 2011.

References

  • Kanton Aargau: Betriebszählung 2005 Business census 2005 figures
  • Hauser-Gehrig, Margrith (year unknown). Erinnerungen an Alt Berikon. Publisher unknown. Excerpts accessed via Berikon Web site, 2009-06-27.