Gardanne

Gardanne

View of Gardanne by Cézanne

Coat of arms
Gardanne

Coordinates: 43°27′19″N 5°28′34″E / 43.4553°N 5.476°E / 43.4553; 5.476Coordinates: 43°27′19″N 5°28′34″E / 43.4553°N 5.476°E / 43.4553; 5.476
Country France
Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement Aix-en-Provence
Canton Gardanne
Government
  Mayor (20082014) Roger Meï
Area1 27.02 km2 (10.43 sq mi)
Population (2008)2 21,121
  Density 780/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 13041 / 13120
Elevation 170–387 m (558–1,270 ft)
(avg. 205 m or 673 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Gardanne is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.

Geography

It is close to Aix-en-Provence and Marseille and lies on the rail link connecting the two cities.

History

Walls dating back to the first century AD have been found.[1]

In 1454 René d'Anjou bought the estate and would go there until 1480.[1] In 1482 it was bought back by the Forbins[1] and in 1676 the villagers themselves bought back their own land.[1]

In the 1860s a railway was built[1] and a little later mines were dug, thus attracting Italian, Armenian, Polish, Czech, Spanish and African workers to the village.[1] The deep mine, one of the last surviving in France, was closed down in 2003.[1]

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
17932,253    
18002,353+4.4%
18062,428+3.2%
18212,823+16.3%
18313,234+14.6%
18362,795−13.6%
18412,609−6.7%
18462,869+10.0%
18512,837−1.1%
18562,710−4.5%
18612,739+1.1%
18662,570−6.2%
18722,566−0.2%
18763,062+19.3%
18812,781−9.2%
18862,657−4.5%
18912,797+5.3%
18963,062+9.5%
19013,593+17.3%
19064,062+13.1%
19114,242+4.4%
19215,301+25.0%
19266,460+21.9%
19317,128+10.3%
19367,334+2.9%
19467,979+8.8%
19548,973+12.5%
196211,261+25.5%
196812,601+11.9%
197514,120+12.1%
198215,122+7.1%
199017,864+18.1%
199919,323+8.2%
200821,121+9.3%

Politics

The commune of Gardanne has been controlled by the Parti Communiste Français under Roger Meï since 1977. Voting is usually towards the left-wing, although rather uncharacteristically Nicolas Sarkozy gained 53.1% of the vote in the second round of the French presidential election, 2007.

See also

References

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