Villiers-le-Bel
Commune in Île-de-France, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Villiers-le-Bel (French pronunciation: [vilje lə bɛl] ⓘ) is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, in the northern suburbs of Paris.[3] It is located 17.4 km (10.8 mi) from the center of Paris.
Villiers-le-Bel | |
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The Hôtel de Ville | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs | |
 Location of Villiers-le-Bel | |
  Villiers-le-Bel Location within France  Villiers-le-Bel Location within Île-de-France (region) | |
| Coordinates: 49°00′34″N 2°23′28″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Île-de-France |
| Department | Val-d'Oise |
| Arrondissement | Sarcelles |
| Canton | Villiers-le-Bel |
| Intercommunality | CA Roissy Pays de France |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2024–2026) | Djida Djalalli-Techtach[1] |
Area 1 | 7.3 km2 (2.8 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 30,053 |
| • Density | 4,100/km2 (11,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 95680 /95400 |
| Elevation | 64–147 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 the collapsed steeple were able to be rescued.[4][5][6][7]
The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1906.[8]
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.[9]
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.[9] Jean-Louis Marsac, the first deputy mayor, stated that the commune grew without gaining the proper infrastructure.[9]
2007 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.[10][11]
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.
Population
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| Source: EHESS[12] and INSEE (1968–2023)[13] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Age distribution
As of 2023[update] 41% of the commune's population was under the age of 25.[14]
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Economy
As of 2007[update] 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.[9]
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.[16] As of 2007[update] the commune does not have its own general high school/sixth-form college.[9]
- Junior high schools include Collège Léon Blum, Collège Martin Luther King, and Collège Saint Exupéry along with the private Collège privé Saint Didier
- Lycée Mendès France (vocational high school) is in the commune
Two nearby senior high schools are in Sarcelles, Lycée la tourelle and Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau.[16] Students attending general high school studies go to J. J. Rousseau.[9]
Area universities:[17]
Neighboring communes
Personalities
- Alexandre Beljame (1842–1906), writer.
- Mickael Citony footballer
- Marie-Laure Delie footballer
- Gaël N’Lundulu footballer
- Yoann Salmier, footballer
- Kevin Vinetot footballer
- Lino rapper
- Mike Maignan footballer
