La Roche-sur-Yon

La Roche-sur-Yon (pronounced [la ʁɔʃ syʁ jɔ̃]) is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It is the capital of the department. The demonym for its inhabitants is Yonnais.[2]

La Roche-sur-Yon
Prefecture and commune
Square Napoléon (Place Napoléon)
Coat of arms
Location of La Roche-sur-Yon
La Roche-sur-Yon
La Roche-sur-Yon
Coordinates: 46°40′14″N 1°25′34″W
CountryFrance
RegionPays de la Loire
DepartmentVendée
ArrondissementLa Roche-sur-Yon
CantonLa Roche-sur-Yon-1 and La Roche-sur-Yon-2
IntercommunalityLa Roche-sur-Yon Agglomération
Government
 • Mayor (2013–2018) Luc Bouard
Area
1
87.52 km2 (33.79 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
54,372
 • Density620/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
85191 /85000
Elevation32–94 m (105–308 ft)
(avg. 74 m or 243 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

The town expanded significantly after Napoleon I chose the site as the new préfecture of the Vendée on 25 May 1804, replacing Fontenay-le-Comte (then under its revolutionary name of Fontenay-le-Peuple). At the time, most of La Roche had been eradicated in the Vendée Revolt (1793–96); the renamed Napoléonville was laid out and a fresh population of soldiers and civil servants was brought in. Napoléonville was designed to accommodate 15,000 people.[3]

The town was called successively:

Geography

The river Yon flows southward through the commune and crosses the town.

Climate
Climate data for La Roche-sur-Yon (1981–2010 averages)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.9
(60.6)		 20.2
(68.4)		 24.1
(75.4)		 28.1
(82.6)		 30.7
(87.3)		 36.9
(98.4)		 36.6
(97.9)		 38.7
(101.7)		 33.7
(92.7)		 29.9
(85.8)		 21.1
(70.0)		 18.7
(65.7)		 38.7
(101.7)
Average high °C (°F) 8.5
(47.3)		 9.5
(49.1)		 12.5
(54.5)		 14.9
(58.8)		 18.8
(65.8)		 22.4
(72.3)		 24.5
(76.1)		 24.6
(76.3)		 21.8
(71.2)		 17.3
(63.1)		 12.0
(53.6)		 8.9
(48.0)		 16.3
(61.3)
Average low °C (°F) 2.6
(36.7)		 2.2
(36.0)		 4.0
(39.2)		 5.5
(41.9)		 9.1
(48.4)		 11.8
(53.2)		 13.7
(56.7)		 13.4
(56.1)		 11.1
(52.0)		 9.0
(48.2)		 5.2
(41.4)		 2.9
(37.2)		 7.5
(45.5)
Record low °C (°F) −14.9
(5.2)		 −15.4
(4.3)		 −10.3
(13.5)		 −4.1
(24.6)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 2.8
(37.0)		 7.2
(45.0)		 5.1
(41.2)		 2.5
(36.5)		 −4.5
(23.9)		 −7.1
(19.2)		 −9.5
(14.9)		 −15.4
(4.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 103.5
(4.07)		 66.0
(2.60)		 70.5
(2.78)		 67.9
(2.67)		 64.5
(2.54)		 44.5
(1.75)		 51.3
(2.02)		 46.1
(1.81)		 73.0
(2.87)		 107.6
(4.24)		 103.5
(4.07)		 102.5
(4.04)		 900.9
(35.47)
Average precipitation days 12.5 10.1 10.8 11.1 9.1 7.6 7.1 7.2 7.8 12.4 13.4 12.5 121.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours 72.4 102.8 145.4 171.1 198.8 230.6 232.3 229.7 194.2 124.1 81.2 69.4 1,852
Source: Meteo France[4][5]

Administration

The Communauté d'agglomération "La Roche-sur-Yon Agglomération" contains 15 communes:

La Roche-sur-Yon is the chief town of the Arrondissement of La Roche-sur-Yon, which covers 11 cantons, 92 communes, and has a population of 230,386 (1999 census).

La-Roche-sur-Yon is chief town of two cantons, Canton of La Roche-sur-Yon-1 and Canton of La Roche-sur-Yon-2.

Main sights
  • Napoléon's statue (1854)
  • Kiosk on Napoléon square
  • Napoléon square / Place Napoléon
  • Saint-Louis church
  • Saint-Louis church
  • Saint-Louis church organ
  • Saint Louis Church of La Roche-sur-Yon
  • Saint Louis Church of La Roche-sur-Yon
  • Theatre
  • Old Hospital
  • Museum
  • Post office
  • Prefecture building
  • Sacré-cœur church
  • Renaissance house (1566)
  • Old Palais de Justice
  • Benjamin Rabier media library
  • Train station
  • Fontenelles Abbey

Transport

The Gare de La Roche-sur-Yon railway station offers connections to Nantes, Paris, Les Sables-d'Olonne, Bordeaux and several regional destinations. The A87 motorway connects La Roche-sur-Yon with Les Sables-d'Olonne and Angers, the A83 with Nantes and Niort.

Education

The commune has designated attendance zones for its primary schools.[6]

Schools include:

  • 2 public preschools (écoles maternelles)[7]
  • 2 public elementary schools[7]
  • 13 public school groups of combined preschools and elementary schools[7]
  • 6 private elementary schools[7]
  • Public junior high schools: Collège Auguste et Jean-Renoir, Collège mixte Les Gondoliers, Collège mixte Edouard Herriot, Collège Haxo[8]
  • Private junior high schools: Collège mixte du Sacré-Coeur, Collège mixte Richelieu, Collège mixte Saint-Louis[8]
  • Public senior high schools: Lycée Nature (general education and agricultural technology), Lycée d'état mixte Alfred-Kastler, Lycée polyvalent Jean de Lattre-de-Tassigny, Lycée polyvalent Pierre-Mendès-France, and Lycée professionnel Edoaurd Branly[9]
  • Private senior high schools: Lycée Saint-François d'Assise, Lycée d'enseignement général et technologique Notre-Dame-du-Roc, Lycée les Etablières[9]
  • One grande école : Institut catholique d'arts et métiers

Sports

In 2014 La Roche-sur-yon hosted the 2014 French championship of table tennis[10]

La Roche-sur-Yon's Vendéspace hosted one of the first round ties of the 2014 Davis Cup tennis tournament over the weekend of 31 January - 2 February 2014. France hosted Australia as both teams competed for a place in the World Group quarterfinals.

In 2015 La Roche-sur-Yon, will host the 2015 FIRS Men's Roller Hockey World Cup, the first time that a World Cup of roller hockey is held in France.

In June 2015 La Roche-sur-Yon's Vendéspace will host the qualification tournament for the World Championships in Savate Combat[11]

Twin towns – sister cities

La Roche-sur-Yon is twinned with:[12]

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. "yonnais - Wiktionary". en.wiktionary.org. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  3. Graham Robb, The Discovery of France, Picador, London (2007), pp257-8
  4. "Données climatiques de la station de La Roche-sur-Yon" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  5. "Climat Pays de la Loire" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  6. "Sectorisation scolaire 2016." La Roche-sur-Yon. Retrieved on 6 September 2016.
  7. "." La Roche Sur-Yon. Retrieved on 6 September 2016.
  8. "Collèges." La Roche Sur-Yon. Retrieved on 6 September 2016.
  9. "Lycées." La Roche Sur-Yon. Retrieved on 6 September 2016.
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. http://vendespace.vendee.fr/Agenda/Sports/TOURNOI-QUALIFICATIF-DE-SAVATE-BOXE-FRANCAISE/vendredi-05-juin-2015-samedi-06-juin-2015
  12. "Villes partenaires". larochesuryon.fr (in French). La Roche-sur-Yon. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
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