Villeurbanne

French commune
nomcommune=Villeurbanne
région=Rhône-Alpes
département=Rhône
arrondissement=Lyon
canton=Chief town of three cantons:
Villeurbanne-Centre
Villeurbanne-Nord
Villeurbanne-Sud
insee=69266
cp=69100
maire=Jean-Paul Bret
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Communauté urbaine de Lyon
longitude=4.880278
latitude=45.766667
alt moy=181 m
alt mini=165 m
alt maxi=189 m
hectares=1,452
km²=14.52
sans=124,215
date-sans=1999
dens=8,554
date-dens=1999

Villeurbanne is a commune in east-central France. It is situated northeast of Lyon, with which it forms the heart of the second largest conurbation in France after that of Paris. With about 130,000 inhabitants, Villeurbanne is the second-largest city in the Rhône "département.

History

The current location of downtown Villeurbanne is known to have been inhabited as far back as 6000 BC. Its current name comes from a Gallo-Roman farming area, established at about the same time as Lyon (then "Lugdunum") and known as the "Villa Urbana" ("town house"). It would then become "Urbanum", then "Villa Urbane" and, ultimately, "Villeurbanne".

Villeurbanne has belonged to the kingdom of France since 1349. It was then separated from Lyon by the river "La Rize", a former branch of the Rhône River.

Until the 19th century, the city was merely a patchwork of distinct villages separated by fields and undevelopped land. These villages have mostly survived, and nowadays form the neighborhoods of Charpennes, Cusset, Croix-Luizet, Maisons-Neuves, etc.

With the industrial era, Villeurbanne's economy soared: the textile industry was the first to bloom, followed by mechanical and chemical ones. The factories lured in numerous immigrants, most notably from Italy. Transforming from a rural community to an industrial town, Villeurbanne underwent a tremendous demographic boom in the late 1920s. From 3,000 inhabitants in 1928, its population rocketed to 82,000 in 1931. Mayor Lazare Goujon (elected 1924) engaged the city in a vast public works initiative. Arguably the most visible heritage of this program is the "Gratte-Ciel", a housing complex made up of two Art Deco towers and annex smaller buildings, lining up along the Avenue Henri Barbusse. These structures are the work of architect Môrice Leroux, and one of the most notable Art Deco structures in France. Having undergone thorough renovation, the 19-story twin towers have become an emblem of the city.

Education

Many colleges and universities of the Lyon metropolitan area are located in Villeurbanne. Many of these are located on the "La Doua" campus, home to the Claude Bernard University (Lyon I), CPE Lyon and the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon.

Transport

Villeurbanne is well served by the Lyon area public transit system, the TCL (Transports en Commun Lyonnais). The east branch of subway line A runs through the city heart, and the new tramway line T1 connects the "La Doua" campus to the Lyon business and commercial district of "La Part-Dieu" and the "Presqu'île" downtown.

Born in Villeurbanne

The list of notable native "Villeurbannais" includes:

* Laure Manaudou, French swimmer, world record holder, 9 October 1986.
* Henri Cochet, French tennis player, 4 December 1901 († 1987).
* Mourad Benhamida, French footballer, 18 January 1986.

External links

* [http://www.mairie-villeurbanne.fr/ Official website]
* [http://forum-villeurbanne.aceboard.fr/ Villeurbanne Message Board]
* [http://villeurbanne.blog.free.fr/ Villeurbanne blog (in French)]