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.

For other places with the same name, see Villiers (disambiguation).
Villiers-le-Bel
Commune
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
CountryFrance
RegionÎle-de-France
DepartmentVal-d'Oise
ArrondissementSarcelles
CantonVilliers-le-Bel
IntercommunalityCA Roissy Pays de France
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Louis Marsac
Area
1
7.3 km2 (2.8 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
27,676
 • Density3,800/km2 (9,800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
95680 /95400
Elevation64–147 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

The Paris Métro, RER, serves through the Villiers-le-Bel - Gonesse - Arnouville station on Paris RER line D. However, 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

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]

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]

Neighboring communes

2007 riots
Main article: 2007 Villiers-le-Bel 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

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Annual Register, 1818, p. 52 (Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, pubs., London, 1819)
  3. (9 June 1818). Foreign, The Reflector (Milledgeville, Georgia), p. 2 col. 3, near bottom
  4. (29 March 1818). France, Journal des débats, p. 1, col. 2 (in French)
  5. (31 March 1818). Paris, 31 mars, Journal de Paris, p.1 (seems to report that death toll was 19 and not 25)
  6. 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.""
  7. "Les écoles à Villiers-le-Bel." Villiers-le-Bel. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
  8. "Enseignement supérieur : Universités." Villiers-le-Bel. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
  9. Ariane Bernard, International Herald Tribune. "Second night of violence in Paris suburb". Retrieved 2007-11-26.
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