Saint Étienne
| Saint-Étienne | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prefecture and commune | ||
Clockwise from top: View of Saint-Étienne, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Place du Peuple, tramway at Gare de Châteaucreux and Couriot Coalmine.
|
||
|
||
 Saint-Étienne
Location within Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region
Saint-Étienne
|
||
| Coordinates: 45°26′05″N 4°23′25″E / 45.4347°N 4.3903°ECoordinates: 45°26′05″N 4°23′25″E / 45.4347°N 4.3903°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Loire | |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Étienne | |
| Canton | Saint-Étienne-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 | |
| Intercommunality | Saint-Étienne Métropole | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2014-2020) | Gaël Perdriau (UMP) | |
| Area1 | 79.97 km2 (30.88 sq mi) | |
| Population (2007 estimate)2 | 178,530 | |
| • Rank | 16th in France | |
| • Density | 2,200/km2 (5,800/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (GMT +1) (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 42218 /42000, 42100 | |
| Elevation | 422–1,117 m (1,385–3,665 ft) (avg. 516 m or 1,693 ft) |
|
| Website | www.saint-etienne.fr | |
|
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.
Saint-Étienne (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃t‿etjɛn]; Arpitan: Sant-Etiève; Saint Stephen) is a city in eastern central France, in the Massif Central, 55 km (34 mi) southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, on the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon. Saint-Étienne is the capital of the Loire department and has a population of approximately 172,023 (2013) in the city itself and over 508,000 in the metropolitan area (2011).
Named after Saint Stephen, the city first appears in the historical record in the Middle Ages as Saint-Étienne de Furan (after the River Furan, a tributary of the Loire). In the 13th century, it was a small borough around the church dedicated to Saint Etienne. On the upper reaches of the Furan, near the Way of St. James, the Abbey of Valbenoîte had been founded by the cistercians in 1222. In the late 15th century, it was a fortified village defended by walls built around the original nucleus.
From the 16th century, Saint-Étienne developed an arms manufacturing industry and became a market town. It was this which accounted for the town's importance, although, it also became a centre for the manufacture of ribbons and passementerie starting in the 17th century. During the French revolution, Saint-Étienne was briefly renamed Armeville – 'arms town' – because of this activity.
Later, it became a mining centre of the Loire coal mining basin, and more recently, has become known for its bicycle industry.
...
Wikipedia