Sucé-sur-Erdre

French commune
nomcommune=Sucé-sur-Erdre
région=Pays de la Loire
département=Loire-Atlantique
arrondissement=Nantes
canton=La Chapelle-sur-Erdre
insee=440201
cp=44240
maire=Dominique Meluc
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm= Communauté de Communes d’Erdre et Gesvres
longitude=-1.528333
latitude=47.345556
alt moy=14 m
alt mini=2 m
alt maxi=47 m
hectares=4,133
km²=41.33
sans=5,868
date-sans=1999
dens=env. 142
date-dens=1999

Sucé-sur-Erdre (Breton: "Sulieg") is a small town and commune situated about 10 miles north of Nantes, in the Loire-Atlantique "département", in the western part of France. Its name comes from the Latin "sulcus", meaning "furrow", and the Celtic "erdam", meaning "small river".

Sucé-sur-Erdre, as its name indicates, is located on the Erdre River, which at this point is near its junction to the Loire River. The town was fairly small (2,000 or so) for quite some time until it began to be absorbed into the greater suburbia of Nantes. As of 2004, it has about 6,500 inhabitants, a significant portion of which commute to Nantes. In general, the area is middle-class with a good portion of upper-middle class and upper-class homes, especially on the river banks.

Sucé-sur-Erdre is relatively well known in the area for its scenic river landscapes, and its many water sports opportunities, including fishing, sailing, windsurfing in Mazerolles ( [http://www.funboard44.fr Funboard44] ), kayaking, and water skiing. It has essentially no industry, the main employer is a large convalescence home. There are many shops (butcher, baker, etc...) and one small supermarket.

Sucé-sur-Erdre has had few encounters with history, its greatest claim to fame being that the famous philosopher René Descartes spent some time there (although this is not very well documented). It has a few old houses, but the church is modern (late 19th century) and uninteresting. There are many picturesque farm houses in the area, although they are disappearing quickly due to the accelerated modernization brought by the expansion of Nantes.

The inhabitants of Sucé-sur-Erdre are called "sucéens" (males) and "sucéennes" (females).

Facts and statistics

* Sister cities: Cricklade (United Kingdom), Bliesransbach (Germany)
* Elevation: 40 feet
* Climate: mild, often wet