Beausoleil, Alpes-Maritimes

Beausoleil
Commune
St. Joseph Church's tower
Coat of arms
Beausoleil Location within Provence-A.-C.d'A. region Beausoleil
Coordinates: 43°44′33″N 7°25′28″E / 43.7425°N 7.4244°E / 43.7425; 7.4244Coordinates: 43°44′33″N 7°25′28″E / 43.7425°N 7.4244°E / 43.7425; 7.4244
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Alpes-Maritimes
Arrondissement	Nice
Canton	Beausoleil
Intercommunality	Riviera française
Government
• Mayor (2008–present)	Gérard Spinelli
Area1	5.48 km2 (2.12 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	14,078
• Density	2,600/km2 (6,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	06012 /06240
Elevation	40–621 m (131–2,037 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Beausoleil (French pronunciation: ​[bosɔlɛj]; Occitan: Bèusoleu [ˌbɛwsuˈlew]; "Beautiful Sun") is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. It adjoins the Principality of Monaco. Beausoleil was formerly known as Monte-Carlo-Supérieur (Upper Monte Carlo).

Geography

Place du Marché (Market Square)

Located on a hillside above the city-state of Monaco, Beausoleil is surrounded by the Tête de Chien and Agel mountains. It is urbanistically contiguous with the principality and shares some streets, as the Boulevard de France, the Boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc, and the Avenue du Maréchal Foch. Its municipality borders with the Monégasque wards of Monte Carlo, Saint Roman, Saint Michel, Moneghetti and Les Révoires; and with the French municipalities of La Turbie, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Peille.^[1]

Economy

The commune is intertwined with Monaco. It functions to some extent as a bedroom community as many of its residents are employed in Monaco. The main part of the town consists of Belle Époque houses with ornate entrances. Attractions within Beausoleil include the Gustave Eiffel covered market, St Joseph's Sanctuary (a church with ornate stained-glass windows) and the Fontdivina Fountain and Wash House.

Given the town's proximity to Monaco, real estate in Beausoleil is prohibitively expensive for many. There is a sense in which the even more expensive Monaco exports its worker accommodation challenge to Beausoleil, which, in turn, exports its own acute accommodation challenge to other French towns further inland.

Politics

The town's border with Monaco was largely fixed during the 18th century. What is now known as Beausoleil was administered from La Turbie prior to 1904, when the town was incorporated. Along with other French communes adjacent to Monaco, the electorate has traditionally had a sizable proportion which is left-leaning: Roger Bennati, mayor of the town 1989-1995, served under Communist affiliation. Monaco's political parties are more right-leaning.

Demographics

Beausoleil is the home of many Filipino and Portuguese immigrants.

Education

Schools in Beausoleil:^[2]

• Groupe Paul Doumer et Jean Jaurès (preschool/nursery and elementary school in two campuses)
• Groupe Les Cigales (preschool/nursery and elementary school)
• Groupe Les Copains (preschool/nursery and elementary school)
• École du Ténao (preschool/nursery and elementary school)
• Collège Bellevue (junior high school)

See also

• Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department

References

• INSEE

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beausoleil.

• (in French) Beausoleil official site
• (in French) Official Office of Tourism website