Échirolles

French commune
nomcommune=Échirolles
région=Rhône-Alpes
département=Isère
arrondissement=Grenoble
canton=Chief town of 2 cantons:
Échirolles-Est
Échirolles-Ouest
insee= 38151
cp= 38130
maire=Renzo Sulli
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Communauté d'agglomération Grenoble Alpes Métropole
longitude=5.7183
latitude=45.14361
alt moy= 237
alt mini= 217
alt maxi= 395
hectares= 786
km²= 8
sans= 35,300
date-sans=2005
dens= 4,491
date-dens=2005

Échirolles is a "commune" in the "département" of Isère and the Rhône-Alpes region of France. It is the second-largest suburb of the city of Grenoble, and is adjacent to it on the south. In the 1999 census, Échirolles had a population of 32,806. Its inhabitants are called the "Échirollois" (feminine : "Échirolloise(s)"). The commune has a land area of 7.86 km² (3.035 sq mi).

History

Former industrial village, the majority of its inhabitants worked in the viscose factories, a fabric which was invented in Échirolles in 1884 by French scientist and industrial Hilaire de Chardonnet ((1838-1924), inventor of the first artificial textile fiber), before becoming universally famous. The process for manufacturing viscose was then patented by three British scientists, Charles Frederick Cross, Edward John Bevan and Clayton Beadle, in 1891.

Famous "Échirollois"

* Vincent Clerc (b. 1981), rugby footballer of Stade Toulousain and of the French national team.
* Mélissa Theuriau (b. 1978), journalist.
* Calogero (b. 1971), pop/rock singer, composer and song-writer.
* Laure Péquegnot (b. 1975), skier.
* Gérald Hustache-Mathieu (b. 1968), film director and scenarist.
* David di Tommaso (b. October 6, 1979 - † November 29, 2005 in De Meern, Holland) , football player.
* Sami Bouajila (b. 1966), actor.
* Guilbaut Colas (b. June 18, 1983), freestyle skier.
* David Lazzaroni (b. February 4, 1985), ski jumper.

Twin towns

* - Grugliasco (Italy)
* - Honhoue (Benin)
* - Kimberley (Nottinghamshire, England)

External links

* [http://www.ville-echirolles.fr/ Official website of Échirolles]
* [http://charlesdefoucauld-cathisere.cef.fr/ Official website of the "Paroisse Charles de Foucauld" in Échirolles]
* [http://www.ville-echirolles.fr/sortir/viscose/viscose.html Museum of viscose in Échirolles]
* [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89chirolles#Patrimoine_religieux Page on Échirolles on French Wikipédia]
* [http://www.romolao-afer-correspondant.com/mentions_legales.php3 Parc Sud Galaxie, Parc d'entreprise]