La_Roche-sur-Yon
La Roche-sur-Yon
Prefecture and commune in Pays de la Loire, France
La Roche-sur-Yon (pronounced [la ʁɔʃ syʁ jɔ̃]) is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It is the capital of the department. The demonym for its inhabitants is Yonnais.[3]
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2013) |
La Roche-sur-Yon | |
|---|---|
Prefecture and commune | |
![Square Napoléon (Place Napoléon [fr])](./File:Place_Napoléon_de_La_Roche-sur-Yon_depuis_l'église.jpg) Square Napoléon (Place Napoléon [fr]) | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of La Roche-sur-Yon  | |
  La Roche-sur-Yon  La Roche-sur-Yon | |
| Coordinates: 46°40′14″N 1°25′34″W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Pays de la Loire |
| Department | Vendée |
| Arrondissement | La Roche-sur-Yon |
| Canton | La Roche-sur-Yon-1 and 2 |
| Intercommunality | La Roche-sur-Yon Agglomération |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Luc Bouard[1] |
| Area 1 | 87.52 km2 (33.79 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 54,952 |
| • Density | 630/km2 (1,600/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 85191 /85000 |
| Elevation | 32–94 m (105–308 ft) (avg. 74 m or 243 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Known for its historical significance and cultural heritage, La Roche-sur-Yon also houses a wide range of educational institutions, from primary schools to higher education establishments.
The town expanded significantly after Napoleon I chose the site as the new préfecture of the Vendée on 25 May 1804, replacing Fontenay-le-Comte (then under its revolutionary name of Fontenay-le-Peuple). At the time, most of La Roche had been eradicated in the Vendée Revolt (1793–96); the renamed Napoléonville was laid out and a fresh population of soldiers and civil servants was brought in. Napoléonville was designed to accommodate 15,000 people.[4]
The town was called successively:
- La Roche-sur-Yon (during the Ancien Régime and the French First Republic)
- Napoléon-sur-Yon (during the First French Empire)
- Bourbon-Vendée (during the French Restoration)
- Napoléon-Vendée (during the French Second Empire)
The river Yon flows southward through the commune and crosses the town.
Climate
La Roche-sur-Yon has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in La Roche-sur-Yon is 12.4 °C (54.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 885.5 mm (34.86 in) with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 19.5 °C (67.1 °F), and lowest in January, at around 6.1 °C (43.0 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in La Roche-sur-Yon was 41.5 °C (106.7 °F) on 18 July 2022; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −15.4 °C (4.3 °F) on 10 February 1986.
| Town | Sunshine (hours/yr) |
Rain (mm/yr) | Snow (days/yr) | Storm (days/yr) | Fog (days/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National average | 1,973 | 770 | 14 | 22 | 40 |
| La Roche-sur-Yon | 1,922.4 | 880.7 | 4.9 | 13.1 | 56.4 |
| Paris | 1,661 | 637 | 12 | 18 | 10 |
| Nice | 2,724 | 767 | 1 | 29 | 1 |
| Strasbourg | 1,693 | 665 | 29 | 29 | 56 |
| Brest | 1,605 | 1,211 | 7 | 12 | 75 |
| Climate data for La Roche-sur-Yon (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1984−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.9 (60.6) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.1 (75.4) |
28.1 (82.6) |
31.9 (89.4) |
38.8 (101.8) |
41.5 (106.7) |
38.7 (101.7) |
34.2 (93.6) |
29.9 (85.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
18.7 (65.7) |
41.5 (106.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.0 (48.2) |
10.1 (50.2) |
13.1 (55.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
19.3 (66.7) |
22.8 (73.0) |
24.9 (76.8) |
25.1 (77.2) |
22.1 (71.8) |
17.3 (63.1) |
12.5 (54.5) |
9.5 (49.1) |
16.8 (62.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) |
6.4 (43.5) |
8.8 (47.8) |
10.9 (51.6) |
14.3 (57.7) |
17.5 (63.5) |
19.4 (66.9) |
19.5 (67.1) |
16.8 (62.2) |
13.4 (56.1) |
9.2 (48.6) |
6.5 (43.7) |
12.4 (54.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.2 (37.8) |
2.7 (36.9) |
4.4 (39.9) |
6.0 (42.8) |
9.3 (48.7) |
12.3 (54.1) |
13.9 (57.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
11.4 (52.5) |
9.4 (48.9) |
5.9 (42.6) |
3.6 (38.5) |
8.0 (46.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −14.9 (5.2) |
−15.4 (4.3) |
−10.3 (13.5) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
2.8 (37.0) |
7.2 (45.0) |
5.1 (41.2) |
2.5 (36.5) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−7.1 (19.2) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−15.4 (4.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 94.8 (3.73) |
70.5 (2.78) |
64.4 (2.54) |
65.9 (2.59) |
62.4 (2.46) |
45.3 (1.78) |
47.9 (1.89) |
52.1 (2.05) |
71.9 (2.83) |
98.7 (3.89) |
108.1 (4.26) |
103.5 (4.07) |
885.5 (34.86) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.6 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 10.0 | 9.5 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.9 | 12.0 | 13.3 | 13.2 | 121.8 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 73.6 | 106.4 | 151.1 | 183.6 | 210.8 | 229.0 | 241.4 | 235.7 | 199.1 | 128.8 | 88.9 | 74.0 | 1,922.4 |
| Source: Meteo France[6][7][8] | |||||||||||||
The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of La Roche-sur-Yon proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of La Roche-sur-Yon absorbed the former communes of Le Bourg-sous-la-Roche-sur-Yon and Saint-André-d'Ornay in 1964.[9]
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: EHESS[9] and INSEE (1968-2017)[10] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Communauté d'agglomération "La Roche-sur-Yon Agglomération" contains 15 communes:
- Aubigny
- Chaillé-sous-les-Ormeaux
- La Chaize-le-Vicomte
- Les Clouzeaux
- Dompierre-sur-Yon
- La Ferrière
- Fougeré
- Landeronde
- Mouilleron-le-Captif
- Nesmy
- La Roche-sur-Yon
- Saint-Florent-des-Bois
- Le Tablier
- Thorigny
- Venansault
La Roche-sur-Yon is the chief town of the Arrondissement of La Roche-sur-Yon, which covers 11 cantons, 92 communes, and has a population of 230,386 (1999 census).
La-Roche-sur-Yon is chief town of two cantons, Canton of La Roche-sur-Yon-1 and Canton of La Roche-sur-Yon-2.
- Napoléon's statue (1854)
- Kiosk on Napoléon square
- Napoléon square / Place Napoléon [fr]
- Saint-Louis church
- Saint-Louis church
- Saint-Louis church organ
- Saint Louis Church of La Roche-sur-Yon
- Theatre
- Old Hospital
- Museum
- Post office
- Prefecture building
- Sacré-cœur church
- Renaissance house (1566)
- Old Palais de Justice
- Benjamin Rabier media library
- Train station
The Gare de La Roche-sur-Yon railway station offers connections to Nantes, Paris, Les Sables-d'Olonne, Bordeaux and several regional destinations. The A87 motorway connects La Roche-sur-Yon with Les Sables-d'Olonne and Angers, the A83 with Nantes and Niort. The airport, situated north of the city, on the East of the Lake "Moulin Papon", is host to a private jet business (SD Aviation), linking the city with Europe and North Africa.
Primary and Secondary Education
The commune has designated attendance zones for its primary schools.[11]
Schools include:
- 2 public preschools (écoles maternelles)[12]
- 2 public elementary schools[12]
- 13 public school groups of combined preschools and elementary schools[12]
- 6 private elementary schools[12]
- Public junior high schools: Collège Auguste et Jean-Renoir, Collège mixte Les Gondoliers, Collège mixte Edouard Herriot, Collège Haxo[13]
- Private junior high schools: Collège mixte du Sacré-Coeur, Collège mixte Richelieu, Collège mixte Saint-Louis[13]
- Public senior high schools: Lycée Nature (general education and agricultural technology), Lycée d'état mixte Alfred-Kastler, Lycée polyvalent Jean de Lattre-de-Tassigny, Lycée polyvalent Pierre-Mendès-France, and Lycée professionnel Edoaurd Branly[14]
- Private senior high schools: Lycée Saint-François d'Assise, Lycée d'enseignement général et technologique Notre-Dame-du-Roc, Lycée les Etablières[14]
- One grande école : Institut catholique d'arts et métiers
Higher Education
La Roche-sur-Yon is home to several higher education institutions:
- Université de Nantes — La Roche-sur-Yon Campus: An extension of the University of Nantes, this campus hosts a variety of undergraduate programs including Business Administration, Computer Science, and Law.[15]
- IUT La Roche-sur-Yon: A part of the University Institute of Technology, it provides vocational-technical education, granting two-year diplomas in fields like Mechanical Engineering, Business and Administration Management, and Multimedia and Internet Technologies.[16]
- ICES (Institut Catholique d'Études Supérieures): A private institution known for programs in humanities, social sciences, law, and business.[17]
Specialized Institutions
La Roche-sur-Yon also hosts several specialized educational institutions:
- École Supérieure de Design de La Roche-sur-Yon: A design school offering programs in graphic design, product design, and interaction design.[18]
- Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental de La Roche-sur-Yon: A music, dance, and drama school providing a wide range of courses for all ages.
In 2014 La Roche-sur-yon hosted the 2014 French championship of table tennis[19]
La Roche-sur-Yon's Vendéspace hosted one of the first round ties of the 2014 Davis Cup tennis tournament over the weekend of 31 January - 2 February 2014. France hosted Australia as both teams competed for a place in the World Group quarterfinals.
In 2015 La Roche-sur-Yon, will host the 2015 FIRS Men's Roller Hockey World Cup, the first time that a World Cup of roller hockey is held in France.
In June 2015 La Roche-sur-Yon's Vendéspace will host the qualification tournament for the World Championships in Savate Combat[20]
La Roche-sur-Yon is twinned with:[21]
Gummersbach, Germany
Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Drummondville, Canada
Cáceres, Spain, since 1982
Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, since 1989- Burg bei Magdeburg, Germany, since 2005
- Broomhedge, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, since 2021
_-_La_Roche-sur-Yon.jpg){kind=link}
_-_La_Roche-sur-Yon.jpg){kind=link}
_-_La_Roche-sur-Yon.jpg){kind=link}
_de_La_Roche-sur-Yon.jpg){kind=link}
_-_La_Roche-sur-Yon.jpg){kind=link}
_-_La_Roche-sur-Yon.jpg){kind=link}
_-_La_Roche-sur-Yon.jpg){kind=link}
- Joséphine Colomb (1833-1892), children's writer, lyricist, translator
- Ciryl Gane (born 1990), mixed martial artist, former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion
- Adlène Guedioura (born 1985), Algerian former professional footballer
- Thomas Laurent (born 1998), racing driver
- Nicolas Marroc (born 1986), racing driver
- MHD (born 1994), rapper
- "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- "yonnais - Wiktionary". en.wiktionary.org. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- Graham Robb, The Discovery of France, Picador, London (2007), pp257-8
- "Données climatiques de la station de La Roche-sur-Yon" (in French). Meteo France. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- "Climat Pays de la Loire" (in French). Meteo France. Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- "Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records" (PDF) (in French). Météo-France. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet La Roche-sur-Yon, EHESS (in French).
- "Sectorisation scolaire 2016." La Roche-sur-Yon. Retrieved on 6 September 2016.
- ANSAR, Cécile. "Bienvenue sur le Pôle universitaire yonnais, Nantes Université à La Roche-sur-Yon en Vendée". Pôle universitaire de La Roche-sur-Yon (in French). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ANSAR, Cécile. "Assurer votre avenir est notre force". IUT La Roche-sur-Yon (in French). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- "ESA - École Supérieure de l'Alternance | Du BAC+2 au BAC+5". ecolesuperieurealternance.fr (in French). 3 July 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- "Les résultats des Championnats de France 2014 de tennis de table | Championnat de France | Actualité Nationale | ACTUALITE". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- "Villes partenaires". larochesuryon.fr (in French). La Roche-sur-Yon. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
- Official website (in French)