Massy, Essonne

Massy
The town hall
Coat of arms
Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs
Coordinates: 48°43′51″N 2°16′17″E / 48.7309°N 2.2713°E / 48.7309; 2.2713Coordinates: 48°43′51″N 2°16′17″E / 48.7309°N 2.2713°E / 48.7309; 2.2713
Country	France
Region	Île-de-France
Department	Essonne
Arrondissement	Palaiseau
Intercommunality	Europ'Essonne
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Vincent Delahaye (PR)
Area1	9.43 km2 (3.64 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	40,804
• Density	4,300/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	91377 /91300
Elevation	55–110 m (180–361 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.

Massy is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 14.7 kilometres (9.1 mi) from the center of Paris.

Massy underwent rapid development within a short period of time, transforming from a large borough of 6,000 inhabitants in 1950 to a town exceeding 37,000 inhabitants in 1968. Since then, its population of around 40,000 has remained relatively stable. Its population is now going to grow again because of new constructions.

The inhabitants of Massy are known as Massicois.

Massy is served by two interchange stations on Paris RER line B and RER line C: Massy – Verrières and Massy – Palaiseau.

There is also a TGV station, called Massy TGV, which is adjacent to Massy – Palaiseau station and is one of only three specially-built TGV stations in the suburbs of Paris (the two others are at Disneyland Resort Paris and at Charles de Gaulle Airport).

The etymological origin of Massy is still very dubious. This name could result from the name of an owner of a villa of the Gallo-Roman time, original site of the village. Called Matius or Matheus, the name of his property then village would have been subjected to deformations due to language and the passing of time to become Massy. Located near the road between Paris and Chartres, the villa was undoubtedly built on a height (the Gaudon Mount) and formed the starting point of a human establishment. The argillaceous subsoil explains the formation of a clearing within the forest and the numerous stretches of water in the surrounding area.

During the Middle Ages and until the end of the Ancien Régime, the lordly estates divided up the territory of the current commune, assigning a majority part to the ecclesiastical institutions and in particular the abbey of St-Germain-des-Prés. In the 10th century, the line of the lords of Massy was established; their title of nobility was to become a barony (nowadays the Grimaldi-Monaco family)..

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Wikipedia