Gif-sur-Yvette

Gif-sur-Yvette is a commune in south-western Ile de France, France. It is located 22.9 km (14.2 mi) from the center of Paris.

Gif-sur-Yvette
Commune
Saint-Rémi church in Gif-sur-Yvette
Coat of arms
Location of Gif-sur-Yvette
Gif-sur-Yvette
Gif-sur-Yvette
Coordinates: 48°42′06″N 2°08′02″E
CountryFrance
RegionÎle-de-France
DepartmentEssonne
ArrondissementPalaiseau
CantonGif-sur-Yvette
IntercommunalityCA Paris-Saclay
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Michel Bournat[1]
Area
1
11.60 km2 (4.48 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[2]
21,379
 • Density1,800/km2 (4,800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
91272 /91190
Elevation57–172 m (187–564 ft)
(avg. 61 m or 200 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Town hall

Geography

The town is crossed by and named after the river Yvette. The total area is 11.60 km2 (4.48 sq mi) and 4.07 km2 (1.57 sq mi) is green spaces and woods.

Place names

The town of Gif-sur-Yvette is composed of sections:

  • in the valley: The Rougemonts, The Mérantaise, The Mairie, The Féverie, Coupières, Damiette, Courcelle, l'Abbaye, les Coudraies;
  • on the Moulon Plateau: The Moulon (uninhabited, aside from a research and educational institute);
  • on the Hurepoix Plateau: The Hacquinière, Belleville (created before the war) and Chevry (created in the 1970s, and equipped with infrastructure).

Also, the commune's territory includes many forests such as the Hacquinière Wood and the d'Aigrefoin Wood.

Commune's neighbors

The neighboring communes of Gif-sur-Yvette are Villiers-le-Bâcle, Saint-Aubin, Saclay, Orsay, Bures-sur-Yvette, Gometz-le-Châtel, Gometz-la-Ville, and Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse.

History

The human presence on the Moulon Plateau originates in Neolithic times. Agriculture was developed, notably during the Roman era.

Between the 12th and the 18th century, an important Benedictine abbey was built in Gif.

In the 19th century, Gif remained very agricultural (in particular, operating mills).

In 1867, Gif was linked to the path of the Sceaux train (which later became the south branch of the RER B).

After the First World War, the Gif commune experienced an important demographic change. The town took the name Gif-sur-Yvette in 1930.

Just after the Second World War, Gif-sur-Yvette acquired an international scientific reputation, with the construction of the CNRS and of the CEA.

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission discovered radioactive contamination in a private home in 1974. The home had been built upon a site where needles containing radon gas were once manufactured,[3] starting in 1915. The needles were used to sterilize infected tissue—an idea developed by Marie Curie.

The town was extended in 1975, with the creation of the Chevry section, from areas ceded by the Gometz-la-Ville and Gometz-le-Châtel communes.

Main sights

The Saint-Rémi Church was constructed in the 12th century and remained until the 15th century, a structure of Roman and Gothic architecture. It was registered in 1938.

Some ruins remain of a Benedictine abbey which was built in the 12th century and became a national property in 1789. It was officially registered in 1963.

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1793 815—    
1800 810−0.6%
1806 800−1.2%
1821 738−7.8%
1831 733−0.7%
1836 712−2.9%
1841 717+0.7%
1846 818+14.1%
1851 815−0.4%
1856 790−3.1%
1861 769−2.7%
1866 753−2.1%
1872 691−8.2%
1876 732+5.9%
1881 702−4.1%
1886 849+20.9%
1891 734−13.5%
1896 776+5.7%
YearPop.±%
1901 814+4.9%
1906 887+9.0%
1911 991+11.7%
1921 997+0.6%
1926 1,240+24.4%
1931 1,513+22.0%
1936 1,508−0.3%
1946 1,649+9.4%
1954 2,678+62.4%
1962 4,058+51.5%
1968 7,298+79.8%
1975 12,945+77.4%
1982 17,166+32.6%
1990 19,754+15.1%
1999 21,352+8.1%
2006 21,816+2.2%
2007 21,736−0.4%

Inhabitants of Gif-sur-Yvette are known as Giffois.

Economy

Gif-sur-Yvette is situated in the "Science Valley" of the Yvette River. Numerous research organizations exist in this area, such as the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), the CEA (Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique), Supélec (École Supérieure d'Électricité), the LGEP (Laboratoire de Génie Électrique de Paris, associated with Supélec), SOLEIL Synchrotron (Source Optimisée de Lumière d'Energie Intermediaire du LURE) and the Institute of Plant Biotechnology. Also, Gif is home to the Centre National d'Études and of the National Police Academy.

The CGT operates, since 1950, a permanent central college of Gif-sur-Yvette, the Benoît Frachon Center, situated along the Yvette River.

Transport

Gif-sur-Yvette is served by two stations on Paris RER line B: Gif-sur-Yvette and Courcelle-sur-Yvette. Like all the train stations on this line, one train goes towards/past Paris (Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV or Mitry-Claye) and the other goes towards the other end of the line : Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse. The trains arrive generally at 15-minute intervals.

People

Twin towns
  • Olpe, Germany, since 2001

See also

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  2. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  3. "France's 20th century radium craze still haunts Paris". REUTERS. July 19, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
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