Demographics
As of 2011, the Canton of Geneva was home to just under 414,000 people (nearly 178,000 in the city of Geneva). The smallness of this number surprised me a little, but in hindsight makes sense. I can see how it would be reasonably 4 times my hometown of Missouri (with students), or 2/3 of the District of Columbia proper. The wealth I see downtown, or as long as it takes to get from one end to the other made me think it was bigger.
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| Too much fun at the international grocery store |
Geneva is also, " the second largest city in Switzerland behind Zurich and the most international city in Europe with over 40% of its population coming from outside Switzerland," which I definitely believe. Between migrants and the international community, I think I've heard that there's someone in Geneva from every country on the planet. and I believe it.
As Part 1 mentioned, the population is mostly Catholic (~40%), and Protestant (~16%), along with 22% non-affiliated, and a smattering of Christian and other religious minorities, the largest of which are Muslims, at about 4%.
Culture Rant
1) Genevans LOVE their dogs. Supposedly only small dogs are allowed on public transportation, but from what I've seen, they understand the word "small," loosely. Although dog ownership per capita isn't as high as the US, I see Swiss dogs everywhere. . . in stores, on trains, in other places I don't expect. And the Swiss spend an average of $36.09 on dog food, nearly 3 times the U.S. average, which is largely (but I don't think entirely) because everything here is so d*** expensive. I suspect that Swiss dogs exist on a diet of solid gold, French cheeses, and dog-friendly Swiss chocolate. And it shows. Thanks to spending too much time around my soon-to-be-veterinarian friend, I've realized that most of them are super fat, and have a serious case of dog-human resemblance.
Interestingly, despite their reputation for order and decorum, dog owners leave their droppings EVERYWHERE. People don't like it, but also don't change their behavior . . . Dog droppings is annually listed as the top complaint of citizens in Geneva. I second the motion.
2) The Swiss a sense of order and decorum is enforced by law. Stores don't stay open late, and unless they're in a gas, bus, or train station, are closed on Sundays (Restaurants remain open). Part of me likes this because it enforces family/community time, which my experiences working in a grocery store on Christmas Eve have made me see as important, but can be inconvenient and can defeat the purpose. Saturday gets sucked up into errands, and then, unless you can afford to eat out (which I can't), Sundays in can feel stifling. Hence my 1 1/2 hours in transit to get an hour of English exposure at Mass.
3) Excerpts from promotional articles I found interesting.
Although we are maybe a bit on the conservative side, take our time to warm up to each other and visitors and slow in adapting to new trends, we got a bit bolder over the years in expressing our attitudes. More
And
Ask any multinational executive why he or she is in Geneva and one of the reasons inevitably mentioned will be “…and because it’s a great place to live!” This subjective evidence has been backed up officially by the famous survey carried out by Mercer Consulting that ranked Geneva the Number One city worldwide in terms of quality of life – two years in a row!
What makes for Geneva’s high quality of life? First, Geneva’s natural beauty. . . . Geneva is small, with Europe’s shortest commuting time from office or home to airport. . . .Geneva’s small size also translates into a greater sense of community. . . . This sense of community, added to Geneva’s low crime rate, make it one of the most secure cities in the world. More
In short, Geneva is, Geneva is, Geneva is a per-fect place.
Geography Tidbits
- Height above sea level: 1230 ft (375 Meters), somewhere between Phoenix and Oklahoma City. Interestingly, the maximum depth of Lake Geneva, at 1020 feet Meters, means that at its deepest depths, the lake is just 200 feet above sea level.
- Area: 109 square miles (DC is 68)
- Population Density: (Compared to DC at 10,298/Square Mile)
- Canton: 4,540.8 /sq mi
- City: 31,417 /sq mi
Some Landmarks
Jet d'Eau: The most perplexing and famous of all city landmarks I've seen. It's literally just a jet of water, a manmade geyser that shoots up 460 feet from Lake Geneva. I can personally testify that it is visible from approaching airplanes. It's cool, but can't say I get the point exactly.
Palais des Nations: Former headquarters of the defunct League of Nations, now UN Human Rights Council Central.
The Old City: Former haunt of Rousseau, Calvin, and others, featuring fancy hotels and restaurants, St. Peter's, cantonal administration buildings, and cobblestoned streets.
The Flower Clock: Appropriate given the importance of watchmaking to the city. Cool, I guess, but along the lines of the Water Jet, I don't exactly get what all the fuss is about.
Need to add a couple more yet, but there's a taster.
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