The village lies on a hill above and to the east of the Reuss Valley, covering part of the Mutschellen Pass.

[4] Over time, the name of the place changed from Berchheim to Bergheim, then to Berchan, Berkein, and finally Berikon.

Later, in 1471, Unterberikon became part of Amt Rohrdorf in the county of Baden, while Oberberikon fell under the oversight of the Kelleramt (Freiamt Affoltern).

When in 1798 the French overran Switzerland and instituted the Helvetic Republic, both municipalities came to the short-lived canton of Baden.

Still, until well into the 20th century, Berikon was a rural village, populated by just 900 inhabitants in 1950, before a sudden boom of construction activity occurred.

Berikon has grown together with the neighbouring municipalities and is today part of the agglomeration of Zürich.

[12] 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).

[5] The historical population is given in the following table:[4] From the 2000 census[update], 2,030 or 46.6% were Roman Catholic, while 1,545 or 35.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.

The executive in Berikon is handled by a five-member Gemeinderat (town council), the members of which are elected by a plurality voting system for a four-year term.

The Gemeinderat leads and represents the village, as well as performing the tasks determined by the Gemeindeversammlung, as well as those delegated by the canton and federal agencies.

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

[5] The majority of the working residents commute to jobs in the city of Zürich or in the towns of the nearby Limmat Valley (Dietikon, Spreitenbach, Schlieren).

Before the A1 expressway was built, the Mutschellen pass was the main connection for auto traffic between Zürich and Bern.

With the completion of the A4 expressway (scheduled November 2009) much more traffic (at least 5% by 2015[18]) is expected through Berikon for travellers heading for the interchange at Birmensdorf (approx.