Vaulx-en-Velin
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Vaulx-en-Velin | |
|---|---|
 The Hôtel de Ville | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Vaulx-en-Velin | |
  Vaulx-en-Velin  Vaulx-en-Velin | |
| Coordinates: 45°46′36″N 4°55′07″E / 45.7768°N 4.9186°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Metropolis | Lyon Metropolis |
| Arrondissement | Lyon |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Hélène Geoffroy[1] (PS) |
Area 1 | 20.95 km2 (8.09 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 53,069 |
| • Density | 2,533/km2 (6,561/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Vaudais, Vaudaise |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 69256 /69120 |
| Elevation | 165–193 m (541–633 ft) (avg. 192 m or 630 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Vaulx-en-Velin (French pronunciation: [vo ɑ̃ v(ə)lɛ̃] ⓘ) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, eastern France. It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is located to its northeast, on the river Rhône.
The rivers, including the Rhône, regularly overflowed their banks, leaving behind a swampy area. The first verifiable mention of the village of Vaulx-en-Velin comes from the year 1225. The place was not spared from wars either. In 1628 the plague raged in the village. Many people suffered from malaria - the field name "En Palud" testifies to this. A dike was built between 1863 and 1879 to dry out around 9,000 hectares of land. The Saint Jean Villeurbanne dam, built between 1879 and 1882, protects Vaulx-en-Velin from flooding.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Vaulx-en-Velin, which had traditionally focused on agricultural production (wheat, vegetables, and fodder, later sugar beets), underwent a transformation: Industrialization began in 1925 with the founding of SASE (Soie Artificielle du Sud-Est, artificial silk of the southeast), which specialized in converting cellulose into viscose (artificial silk). Up to 3,000 people worked in the textile industry in Vaulx-en-Velin. When the crisis in the textile industry became apparent in 1980 with the closure of the former SASE factory, the town was hit hard by unemployment.[3] The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1977.[4]
In 1971, the first riots and incidents occurred in a settlement that had been built specifically for Harkis.[5] In September 1979 the first Banlieue suburban youth riots in France broke out in the Cité Olivier-de-Serres in Vaulx-en-Velin.[6]
One third of the population lives below the poverty line.[7]
On 16 December 2022, a large fire broke out in a seven-storey apartment building, killing ten people, including five children, and injuring 14.[8]
Population
Historical population | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: EHESS[9] and INSEE (1968-2023)[10] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transport
- Metro line A
- Tram T3
- Several buses lines from Transports en commun lyonnais
- Rhônexpress
Personalities
- Nathalie Arthaud (born 1970), candidate for the 2012 presidential election, was one of the municipal councillors[11]
- Marie-Frédérique Ayissi (born 1982), basketball player
- Junior Sambia (born 1996), footballer
- Khal Torabully (born 1956), writer and director
- Corinne Vigreux (born 1964), business executive and co-founder of TomTom
