There was recently an article in our local paper about the new city which is growing/could grow out of the recently created community of Glarus Nord. (PDF - in German)

For those of us who live in the villages which make up the community, the thought of our sleepy corner of Switzerland becoming a city seems quite bizarre. Sure, the old people (like our next door neighbour) think our village is already turning into the Bronx with the gangs of young people marauding down the high street after dark (I saw someone lurking by the snack dispenser last night, so it must be true!), but to suggest, as the writers of the Fridolin do, that we might be the next Schaffhausen or Luzern is crazy, surely?

They might have a point, though. Our community is not so far away from Zurich - 45 minutes by express train, a little longer by S-Bahn - there is a pretty well established infrastructure, with several industrial sites lying ready for renovation and a motorway running through the middle of it, and plenty of flat, otherwise fairly useless, land crying out for development.

The taxes aren't much higher than those of neighbouring Schwyz, but the rents are much lower. We've got some excellent leisure facilities, from the walkers' paradise of Kerenzerberg to the sports centre in Naefels, from the ski resort at Braunwald to the cyclists' playground on the Klausen Pass, and there's plenty more within an hour's train ride (Flumserberg, the Walensee... the list is a long one).

What more could one ask for in a new town?

Ignoring the negative social changes this would inevitably bring (not to mention spoiling our view of the mountains), what benefits could you see in the establishment of a new city down here? Would you want to live here? Is there anywhere else you see as being ripe for urban development?

Glarus Nord - you saw it here first!

Forgive my ignorance, how can someone(s) make a city grow? I imagine over many, many years a city could grow out of almost any village, but can people make a city out of a village, just like that?

I think Switzerland does nicely with it's small villages/towns which are generally all self-sufficient...should stay that way

You aren't American, are you?

We can make a city out of nuthin'. (And all the streets will be straight when we're done too.)

No, not American...but being American does not make a city, unless, all Americans here decide to move to Glarus Nord, u planning on it? If it works, I'll be sure to visit the US of Glarus

...and straight streets are fine by me, I am a math perfectionist and any village I design would be geometrically sound.

First of all do not forget that there in German is no difference between "town" and "city". You just have the difference between village and city. I think that it for you and other Brits to see a place of 11'500 people being titled "city" may be hair-rising indeed

Second, in the past, lots of Glarner went to Zurich to work and live (or study). Many of them, if seeing good opportunities in their "homeland" may opt to get over.

Third, nobody is "establishing" a new city, but this new city is gradually developing

Every place in Switzerland seems to be about an hour of every other place here. So I don't really see (although have never been there!) why Glarus in particular is at danger of becoming a "big" city!
Have you ever been out to the Hallwylersee region? Beautiful!! Don't know about the taxes, but it has just about everything else you describe more or less including a beautiful lake. Drive an hour north, south, east or west and find more of the same stuff!!

Sorry but you missed something. What those Glarner did was to merge two dozen villages into just three "communalities" and this "Glarus Nord" includes much of the commercial substance of that Canton. I mean, if you merge 10 villages of 1100 people each you will have a "city" of 11'000. If you further on are an area where people from places like Zurich may be to settle, you can well go ahead further.

AND, the topic is NOT the union but the Canton of Glarus

A) Nobody speaks about a "danger" but about the future !
B) It is NOT Glarus (Canton of Glarus) becoming a "city" but Glarus-Nord

Here the structure in question

Wappen Name der Gemeinde Einwohner
31. Dezember 2009 Fläche
in km² Einwohner/
km² Glarus 12'166 103.61 117 Glarus Nord 16'438 146.98 112 Glarus Süd 9880 425.88 23
Total 38'479 680.69 57

I stand corrected

Well, in fact, Glarus was made into a "city" out of nothing after the big fire in 1861 and it is one of the very few cities in Switzerland with straight streets, which the architects modeled on US city plans.

As for Glarus Nord becoming a city, I guess they are getting a bit better about promoting Glarus, assuming the city-feel is something people might be attracted to. Just don't let it seep further back in the valley or I will not be happy. I mean, who comes to Glarnerland to live in a city?

I don't really think there is a danger of Glarus nord becoming "urban", whatever that is. One mark of urban life, though, is drugs and Glarus (canton) has a long history of drugs problems that would put any big city to shame. Nevertheless, I don't think any part of Glarus is in danger of morphing into some kind of chic cosmopolitan urban center. (Glarus, chic, cosmopolitan - sorry, I was laughing so hard I couldn't type anymore.)

Sorry but you missed something. What those Glarner did was to merge two dozen villages into just three "communalities" and this "Glarus Nord" includes much of the commercial substance of that Canton. I mean, if you merge 10 villages of 1100 people each you will have a "city" of 11'000. If you further on are an area where people from places like Zurich may be to settle, you can well go ahead further.

AND, the topic is NOT the union but the Canton of Glarus

Yup! And a city can be a city with 85 year-round inhabitants.

Two words: Atlanta, Georgia.

In the 1930s it was a sleepy small city like many other American cities in the south. The town planners got together and decided, well the south is going to need a city, one will emerge, why not us?

They then proceded to aggressively pursue every business with attractive tax breaks etc.

By 1996, it hosted the summer Olympics and was the worldwide headquarter of more companies than all other American cities but two.

(Dreamy voiceover: build it and they will come.)

The sun during winter?

In Glarus Nord: still there!

Can't speak for the rest of the canton, though...

Should the people not vote on this?.
Btw Mr Breakfast sound like the Local.

How can the people vote on the inevitable?

OK then lets not discuss and waste time

Mr Breakfast,

Why bring a thread which is as you say is inevitable to the EF when it is just local news.

Not everybody lives in Zurich, you know.