Roche-sur-Yon
| La Roche-sur-Yon | ||
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| Prefecture and commune | ||
Square Napoléon
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 La Roche-sur-Yon
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Location within Pays de la Loire region
La Roche-sur-Yon
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| Coordinates: 46°40′14″N 1°25′34″W / 46.6705°N 1.426°WCoordinates: 46°40′14″N 1°25′34″W / 46.6705°N 1.426°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Pays de la Loire | |
| Department | Vendée | |
| Arrondissement | La Roche-sur-Yon | |
| Canton | La Roche-sur-Yon-1 and La Roche-sur-Yon-2 | |
| Intercommunality | La Roche-sur-Yon Agglomération | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2013–2018) | Luc Bouard | |
| Area1 | 87.52 km2 (33.79 sq mi) | |
| Population (2010)2 | 52,664 | |
| • Density | 600/km2 (1,600/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 85191 /85000 | |
| Elevation | 32–94 m (105–308 ft) (avg. 74 m or 243 ft) |
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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. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
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. Its inhabitants are called Yonnais.
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.
The town was called successively:
The river Yon flows southward through the commune and crosses the town.
The Communauté d'agglomération "La Roche-sur-Yon Agglomération" contains 15 communes:
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
Saint-Louis church
Saint-Louis church
Saint-Louis church organ
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Wikipedia