Argenteuil

French commune
nomcommune=Argenteuil| map_size=250px
adjustable_

---

mapcaption=Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs
lat_long=coord|48|56|55|N|2|14|54|E|region:FR_type:city
région=Île-de-France
département=Val-d'Oise| arrondissement=Argenteuil
canton=
insee= 95018
cp= 95100
maire=Philippe Doucet
mandat= 2008-
intercomm=Argenteuil-Bezons
alt moy= 42 m
alt mini= 21
alt maxi= 167 m
hectares= 1722
km²= 17.22
sans=
101,300
93,961
date-sans=2005 estimate
1999 census
dens=5883
date-dens=2005

Argenteuil is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 12.3 km (7.6 miles) from the center of Paris. Argenteuil is a sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Argenteuil.

Argenteuil is the second most populated commune in the suburbs of Paris (after Boulogne-Billancourt) and by far the most populated commune in the Val-d'Oise department, although it is not its capital, which is shared between the communes of Cergy and Pontoise.

Name

The name Argenteuil is recorded for the first time in a royal charter of 697 as "Argentoialum", from a Latin/Gaulish radical "argento" meaning "silver", "silvery", "shiny", perhaps in reference to the gleaming surface of the river Seine, on the banks of which Argenteuil is located, and from a Celtic suffix "-ialo" meaning "clearing, glade", "place of".

History

Argenteuil was founded as a convent in the 7th century (→ Pierre Abélard, Convent of Argenteuil). The monastery that arose from the convent was destroyed during the French Revolution.

Argenteuil was known for the white asparagus and grapes grown there. The word Argenteuil is synonymous with white asparagus on menus. Once a rural escape for Parisians, it is now a suburb of Paris. Painters made Argenteuil famous, including Claude Monet, Jean-Étienne Delacroix, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Georges Braque.

Famous people born in Argenteuil

* Georges Braque, May 3 1882, Co-founder of cubism and sculptor.
* Ingrid Chauvin, (b. October 3 1973), French actress.
* Chevalier d'Argenteuil, (fl. in Newfoundland, Canada 1709-13), French Soldier; he captured Fort William at St. John's Newfoundland in 1709

Famous pieces of Artwork

* "Autumn at Argenteuil" Claude Monet.
* "Regatta at Argenteuil" Claude Monet.
* "Red Boats, Argenteuil" Claude Monet.
* "The Bridge at Argenteuil" Claude Monet.
* "The Port at Argenteuil" Claude Monet.
* "The Seine at Argenteuil" Claude Monet.
* "Argenteuil" Édouard Manet.
* "Seine near Argenteuil" Édouard Manet.
* "Regatta at Argenteuil" Auguste Renoir.

Transport

Argenteuil is served by two stations on the Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare suburban rail line: Argenteuil and Val d'Argenteuil.

Demographics

Immigration

France immigration
collectivity_name=Argenteuil
census_year=1999
metropolitan_France=77.5
outside_metropolitan_France=22.5
overseas_France=2.1
foreign_French= 2.1
EU-15=4.3
non-EU-15=14.0

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.ville-argenteuil.fr/ Official website] fr icon