the Helvetian state, reprisals by the Austrian Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom, deterioration of climatic conditions) caused seasonal or temporary up to final emigration to overseas, esp to California and Australia. The Maggia valley lost one-third of its total population. The ensuing strong depopulation of the valley and demographic imbalances (gender, aging, low fertility and high rates of singlehood) had long-term effects and triggered a further decline in agricultural productivity, which in turn led to new emigration. The most remote communities were the most affected. Only after the Second World War was there a gradual turnaround. However, the population development of the lower half of the valley, which benefited from its proximity to the economic center Locarno suburbanised in the last decades of the 20th century, much different from the more problematic development in the upper valleys. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Val Rovana, where the population had declined by 75% between 1860-1980, seemed to become a holiday resort, similar to the Val Bavona. The Valle Lavizzara was a little less affected by the population decline. Within the Maggia valley there’s only 1,8% of the Ticinese population, even if it occupies 20% of the cantonal territory. The demographic density is, thus, very low: 9 inhabitants per square kilometre. From 1814 to 1824 a road (via cantonale) was built from Locarno on the Lake Maggiore to Bignasco, which broke the valley´s isolation. In 1907, a railway line Locarno-Ponte Brolla-Bignasco was built. It helped the development of the quarries. The railroad was closed in 1965. Hydropower from Maggia began around 1950. It achieved great economic benefits however at the expense of environmental problems. As of 2010, there were nine power plants with a total production of about 611 megawatts. The creation of jobs slowed the rural exodus. Economy Since the Middle Ages, the economy has been based on field (cereals, potatoes and linen) and viticulture and pasture management. For many centuries cheese was exported from Valle Maggia. Forests were often overused as a resource, which polluted the environment. Crafts (wool spinning, weaving, wood processing), soapstone industry and after the second half of the 19th century quarries thrived, in which marble and a special form of gneiss (Beola) were obtained. Famous is the marble obtained from the quarry located at the end of Val di Peccia, at an altitude of 1300 metres. The marble of Peccia is a solid metamorphic limestone, weather-resistant and