Oberhallau

Both Hallau and Oberhallau are first mentioned in 1095 as Hallaugia superiori et inferiori. Until the Peasants' War of 1653 it was part of Hallau.^[2]

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure a Fleur-de-lis Argent and overall a Key Or in fess.^[3]

Oberhallau has an area, as of 2006^[update], of 6 km² (2.3 sq mi). Of this area, 72.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 20.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.2%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).^[4] The municipality is located in the Unterklettgau district on the foot of the Hallauerberg.

Oberhallau has a population (as of 2008^[update]) of 425, of which 2.4% are foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, (as of 2008^[update]), 30% are from Germany, 10% are from Italy, and 60% are from another country.^[5] Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks German (97.2%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.0%) and English being third ( 0.5%).^[4] The age distribution of the population (as of 2008^[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.4% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16%.^[5]

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 61.5% of the vote. The next two most popular parties were the SP (23.7%), and the FDP (14.7%) .^[4]

In Oberhallau about 84.3% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).^[4] In Oberhallau, as of 2007^[update], 3.56% of the population attend kindergarten or another pre-school, 4.28% attend a Primary School, 4.75% attend a lower level Secondary School, and 3.8% attend a higher level Secondary School.^[5]

As of 2000^[update], 13.6% of the population belonged to the Roman Catholic Church and 77.1% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.^[5]

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

Oberhallau has an unemployment rate, as of 2007^[update], of 0.64%. As of 2005^[update], there were 88 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 31 businesses involved in this sector. 18 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 3 businesses in this sector. 25 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 7 businesses in this sector.^[4]

As of 2008^[update] the mid year average unemployment rate was 0.4%. There were 14 non-agrarian businesses in the municipality and 47.8% of the (non-agrarian) population was involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 52.2% were involved in the third. At the same time, 54.3% of the working population was employed full-time, and 45.7% was employed part-time. There were 46 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 58.7% of the workforce. As of 2000^[update] there were 83 residents who worked in the municipality, while 128 residents worked outside Oberhallau and 18 people commuted into the municipality for work.^[5]

As of 2008^[update], there is 1 restaurant in the village and the hospitality industry in Oberhallau employs 2 people.^[5]

The Stone Age gravesite at Überhürst is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.^[6]