Saint-Vallier, Drôme
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 Saint-Vallier
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Location within Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region
Saint-Vallier
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| Coordinates: 45°10′44″N 4°48′54″E / 45.179°N 4.815°ECoordinates: 45°10′44″N 4°48′54″E / 45.179°N 4.815°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Drôme | |
| Arrondissement | Valence | |
| Canton | Saint-Vallier | |
| Intercommunality | Les Deux Rives de la Région de Saint-Vallier | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Jacques Cheval | |
| Area1 | 5.42 km2 (2.09 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008)2 | 4,005 | |
| • Density | 740/km2 (1,900/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 26333 / 26240 | |
| Elevation | 131–364 m (430–1,194 ft) (avg. 158 m or 518 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.
Saint-Vallier is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. It is an administrative, commercial and industrial town at the confluence of the rivers Galaure and Rhone.
The town is situated on the bank of the River Rhone, 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Valence. The River Galaure flows northwest through the southern part of the commune, crosses the town, then flows into the Rhone, which forms the commune's western border.
The town covers an area of 464 hectares and has just over four thousand inhabitants.
It is the county town of the canton and is important as an administrative, industrial and commercial centre. It has developed in a linear fashion along the bank of the Rhone and has a catchment area of about fifteen thousand inhabitants. It has a number of factories and industrial units making aviation parts, ceramic insulators, nuclear taps, tiles and stationery.
The Roman town of Ursuli was built on this site at the confluence of the Galaure and the Rhone.
The Château de Diane de Poitiers was built in the fifteenth century. It is flanked by corner towers that dominate the Galaure River. The château is surrounded by a landscaped garden designed by Le Nôtre. Château des Rioux is another ancient castle beside the three hectare Parc à l'Anglaise. It originally housed a religious community of monks but was rebuilt in the nineteenth century by Comte Dupeyroux de Salmagne. It offers accommodation in a gite and four guest chambers. The old city walls are still visible on the Place Orsolles and there is a covered market, built in 1852.
In the eighteenth century, feldspar and kaolin were found in the area and an industry grew up making hard-paste porcelain fired at a high temperature.
On August 16, 1944, 28 American B17 tried to destroy the railroad bridge, causing many deaths and damages to the south of the town.
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Wikipedia