Levens

Levens
The village of Levens, seen from the west with the Cime du Gélas in the background
Coat of arms
Levens
Location within Provence-A.-C.d'A. region  Levens
Coordinates: 43°51′42″N 7°13′31″E / 43.8617°N 7.2253°E / 43.8617; 7.2253Coordinates: 43°51′42″N 7°13′31″E / 43.8617°N 7.2253°E / 43.8617; 7.2253
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Alpes-Maritimes
Arrondissement	Nice
Canton	Levens
Intercommunality	Nice-Côte d'Azur
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Antoine Véran
Area1	29.85 km2 (11.53 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	4,632
• Density	160/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	06075 /06670
Elevation	121–1,414 m (397–4,639 ft) (avg. 600 m or 2,000 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Levens is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

Its inhabitants are called Levensans (or Levensois).

There are three possible explanations of the origin of the name:

The village, built on high rocky ground, is located at an altitude of 600 metres. It lies in the center of the district, which stretches from the plain of the Var (Plan-du-Var hamlet) to the Férion range. Mount Férion is 1,400 metres high.

Levens is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés (Route of Perched Villages). The others are: Aspremont, Castagniers, Coaraze, Colomars, Duranus, Èze, Falicon, La Gaude, La Roquette, Saint-Blaise, Saint-Jeannet and Tourrette-Levens.