Villiers-le-Bel (French pronunciation: [vilje bɛl] ) is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, in the northern suburbs of Paris.[3] It is located 17.4 km (10.8 mi) from the center of Paris.

Villiers-le-Bel
City hall
City hall
Coat of arms of Villiers-le-Bel
Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs
Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs
Location of Villiers-le-Bel
Map
Villiers-le-Bel is located in France
Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel is located in Île-de-France (region)
Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel
Coordinates: 49°00′34″N 2°23′28″E / 49.0094°N 2.3911°E / 49.0094; 2.3911
CountryFrance
RegionÎle-de-France
DepartmentVal-d'Oise
ArrondissementSarcelles
CantonVilliers-le-Bel
IntercommunalityCA Roissy Pays de France
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Louis Marsac[1]
Area
1
7.3 km2 (2.8 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
28,836
 • Density4,000/km2 (10,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
95680 /95400
Elevation64–147 m (210–482 ft)
(avg. 75 m or 246 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

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A tragedy occurred in the town in the early evening of March 25, 1818, when a cracked 6,000 pound (2721 kg) bell being removed from a belfry came crashing down, killing approximately 25 onlookers. Workers who remained hanging from collapsed steeple were able to be rescued.[4][5][6][7]

In the 1950s the commune had about 5,000 residents but it urbanized from 1950 to 1974. As of 2007 the commune had 26,000 people.[8]

In 2007 the mayor at the time, François Pupponi, stated that the city became a "social ghetto" suffered from planning errors made in the 1950s, as the community did not gain the businesses necessary to support the population.[8] Jean-Louis Marsac, the first deputy mayor, stated that the commune grew without gaining the proper infrastructure.[8]

2007 riots

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On the night of 25 November 2007, gangs attacked a police station in Villiers-le-Bel, torched cars, and vandalized stores. The violence was prompted by the deaths of two adolescents after a crash between their motorbike and a police patrol car at an intersection. The disturbances spread to neighbouring towns on the night of 26 November. 82 police officers were injured, four of them seriously, by shotgun blasts.[9][10]

Transport

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The Paris Métro, RER, serves through the Villiers-le-Bel - Gonesse - Arnouville station on Paris RER line D. However, this station is located in the neighboring commune of Arnouville-lès-Gonesse, 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from the town center of Villiers-le-Bel.

Population

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As of 2017 47% of the commune's population was under the age of 30.[11]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 1,633—    
1800 1,350−2.68%
1806 1,325−0.31%
1821 1,178−0.78%
1831 1,209+0.26%
1836 1,322+1.80%
1841 1,883+7.33%
1846 1,979+1.00%
1851 1,934−0.46%
1856 1,951+0.18%
1861 2,132+1.79%
1866 2,107−0.24%
1872 1,735−3.19%
1876 1,968+3.20%
1881 2,016+0.48%
1886 1,968−0.48%
1891 1,649−3.48%
1896 1,644−0.06%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 1,723+0.94%
1906 1,718−0.06%
1911 1,845+1.44%
1921 2,377+2.57%
1926 3,324+6.94%
1931 4,389+5.72%
1936 4,351−0.17%
1946 4,209−0.33%
1954 4,852+1.79%
1962 12,797+12.89%
1968 19,119+6.92%
1975 21,876+1.94%
1982 24,808+1.81%
1990 26,110+0.64%
1999 26,145+0.01%
2007 27,091+0.45%
2012 27,496+0.30%
2017 27,676+0.13%
Source: EHESS[12] and INSEE (1968–2017)[11]

Economy

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As of 2007 Charles de Gaulle International Airport is the primary employer of the area. Within Villiers-le-Bel itself the largest employers were the Charles-Richet Hospital, the Flopak conditioning company, Gilson medical material company, and public services.[8]

Education

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The commune has 30 educational institutions, including 11 preschools and 11 elementary schools along with four junior high schools and a vocational high school.[13] As of 2007 the commune does not have its own general high school/sixth-form college.[8]

Two nearby senior high schools are in Sarcelles, Lycée la tourelle and Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau.[13] Students attending general high school studies go to J. J. Rousseau.[8]

Area universities:[14]

Neighboring communes

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Personalities

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ INSEE commune file
  4. ^ Annual Register, 1818, p. 52 (Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, pubs., London, 1819)
  5. ^ (9 June 1818). Foreign, The Reflector (Milledgeville, Georgia), p. 2 col. 3, near bottom
  6. ^ (29 March 1818). France, Journal des débats, p. 1, col. 2 (in French)
  7. ^ (31 March 1818). Paris, 31 mars, Journal de Paris, p.1 (seems to report that death toll was 19 and not 25)
  8. ^ a b c d e f Ternisien, Xavier (2007-11-29). "Villiers-le-Bel, radioscopie d'un "ghetto social"". Le Monde. Archived from the original on 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2016-09-09.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) () ""Nous avons grandi à la vitesse d'une ville nouvelle, souligne Jean-Louis Marsac (PS), premier adjoint au maire." and "Pour François Pupponi, maire (PS) de Sarcelles,[...] privait la commune de taxe professionnelle.""
  9. ^ Ariane Bernard, International Herald Tribune. "Second night of violence in Paris suburb". Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  10. ^ Report of disturbances in the French daily Le Figaro (in French)
  11. ^ a b Évolution et structure de la population en 2017, INSEE
  12. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Villiers-le-Bel, EHESS (in French).
  13. ^ a b "Les écoles à Villiers-le-Bel Archived 2015-01-19 at the Wayback Machine." Villiers-le-Bel. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
  14. ^ "Enseignement supérieur : Universités Archived 2017-04-13 at the Wayback Machine." Villiers-le-Bel. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
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