Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, in the northern suburbs of Paris. It is located 17.4 km (10.8 mi) from the center of Paris.
Villiers-le-Bel | |
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City hall | |
Coat of arms | |
Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs | |
Location of Villiers-le-Bel | |
Villiers-le-Bel Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs Villiers-le-Bel Villiers-le-Bel (Île-de-France (region)) | |
Coordinates: 49°00′34″N 2°23′28″E | |
Country | France |
Region | Île-de-France |
Department | Val-d'Oise |
Arrondissement | Sarcelles |
Canton | Villiers-le-Bel |
Intercommunality | CA Roissy Pays de France |
Government | |
• Mayor (2012–2020) | Jean-Louis Marsac |
Area 1 | 7.3 km2 (2.8 sq mi) |
Population (2017-01-01)[1] | 27,676 |
• Density | 3,800/km2 (9,800/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 95680 /95400 |
Elevation | 64–147 m (210–482 ft) (avg. 75 m or 246 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
History
A tragedy occurred in the town in the early evening of March 25, 1818, when a cracked 6,000 pound (2721 kg) bell being removed from a belfry came crashing down, killing approximately 25 onlookers. Workers who remained hanging from collapsed steeple were able to be rescued.[2][3][4][5]
In the 1950s the commune had about 5,000 residents but it urbanized from 1950 to 1974. As of 2007 the commune had 26,000 people.[6]
In 2007 the mayor at the time, François Pupponi, stated that the city became a "social ghetto" suffered from planning errors made in the 1950s, as the community did not gain the businesses necessary to support the population.[6] Jean-Louis Marsac, the first deputy mayor, stated that the commune grew without gaining the proper infrastructure.[6]
Transport
Villiers-le-Bel is served by no station of the Paris Métro, RER. The closest station to Villiers-le-Bel is Villiers-le-Bel – Gonesse – Arnouville station on Paris RER line D. This station is located in the neighboring commune of Arnouville-lès-Gonesse, 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from the town center of Villiers-le-Bel.
Demography
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1793 | 1,633 | — |
1800 | 1,350 | −17.3% |
1806 | 1,325 | −1.9% |
1821 | 1,178 | −11.1% |
1831 | 1,209 | +2.6% |
1836 | 1,322 | +9.3% |
1841 | 1,883 | +42.4% |
1846 | 1,979 | +5.1% |
1851 | 1,934 | −2.3% |
1856 | 1,951 | +0.9% |
1861 | 2,132 | +9.3% |
1866 | 2,107 | −1.2% |
1872 | 1,735 | −17.7% |
1876 | 1,968 | +13.4% |
1881 | 2,016 | +2.4% |
1886 | 1,968 | −2.4% |
1891 | 1,649 | −16.2% |
1896 | 1,644 | −0.3% |
1901 | 1,723 | +4.8% |
1906 | 1,718 | −0.3% |
1911 | 1,845 | +7.4% |
1921 | 2,377 | +28.8% |
1926 | 3,324 | +39.8% |
1931 | 4,389 | +32.0% |
1936 | 4,351 | −0.9% |
1946 | 4,209 | −3.3% |
1954 | 4,852 | +15.3% |
1962 | 12,797 | +163.7% |
1968 | 19,119 | +49.4% |
1975 | 21,876 | +14.4% |
1982 | 24,808 | +13.4% |
1990 | 26,110 | +5.2% |
1999 | 26,145 | +0.1% |
As of 2007 40% of the commune's population was under the age of 25.[6]
Economy
As of 2007 Charles de Gaulle International Airport is the primary employer of the area. Within Villiers-le-Bel itself the largest employers were the Charles-Richet Hospital, the Flopak conditioning company, Gilson medical material company, and public services.[6]
Education
The commune has 30 educational institutions, including 11 preschools and 11 elementary schools along with four junior high schools and a vocational high school.[7] As of 2007 the commune does not have its own general high school/sixth-form college.[6]
- Junior high schools include Collège Léon Blum, Collège Martin Luther King, and Collège Saint Exupéry along with the private Collège privé Saint Didier
- Lycée Mendès France (vocational high school) is in the commune
Two nearby senior high schools are in Sarcelles, Lycée la tourelle and Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau.[7] Students attending general high school studies go to J. J. Rousseau.[6]
Area universities:[8]
- Université de Cergy-Pontoise
- University of Paris 8
- University of Paris 13
Neighboring communes
2007 riots
On the night of 25 November 2007, gangs attacked a police station in Villiers-le-Bel, torched cars, and vandalized stores. The violence was prompted by the deaths of two adolescents after a crash between their motorbike and a police patrol car at an intersection. The disturbances spread to neighbouring towns on the night of 26 November. 82 police officers were injured, four of them seriously, by shotgun blasts. [9]
Personalities
- Alexandre Beljame (1842–1906), writer.
- Mickael Citony footballer
- Marie-Laure Delie footballer
- Gaël N’Lundulu footballer
- Yoann Salmier, footballer
- Kevin Vinetot footballer
- Lino rapper
References
- "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- Annual Register, 1818, p. 52 (Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, pubs., London, 1819)
- (9 June 1818). Foreign, The Reflector (Milledgeville, Georgia), p. 2 col. 3, near bottom
- (29 March 1818). France, Journal des débats, p. 1, col. 2 (in French)
- (31 March 1818). Paris, 31 mars, Journal de Paris, p.1 (seems to report that death toll was 19 and not 25)
- Ternisien, Xavier (2007-11-29). "Villiers-le-Bel, radioscopie d'un "ghetto social"". Le Monde. Archived from the original on 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2016-09-09.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link) () ""Nous avons grandi à la vitesse d'une ville nouvelle, souligne Jean-Louis Marsac (PS), premier adjoint au maire." and "Pour François Pupponi, maire (PS) de Sarcelles,[...] privait la commune de taxe professionnelle.""
- "Les écoles à Villiers-le-Bel." Villiers-le-Bel. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
- "Enseignement supérieur : Universités." Villiers-le-Bel. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
- Ariane Bernard, International Herald Tribune. "Second night of violence in Paris suburb". Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- General
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Villiers-le-Bel. |
- Official website (in French)
- Mérimée database - Cultural heritage (in French)
- Land use (IAURIF) (in English)
- Association of Mayors of the Val d’Oise (in French)