Country France Canton Villiers-le-Bel Population 27,091 (2007) INSEE/Postal code 95680 /95400 | Region Île-de-France Area 7.3 km² Local time Monday 6:19 PM | |
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Intercommunality CA Roissy Pays de France Weather 20°C, Wind N at 8 km/h, 34% Humidity | ||
Villiers-le-Bel is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, in the northern suburbs of Paris. It is located 17.4 km (10.8 mi) from the center of Paris.
Contents
- Map of 95400 Villiers le Bel France
- History
- Transport
- Demography
- Economy
- Education
- Neighboring communes
- 2007 riots
- Personalities
- References
Map of 95400 Villiers-le-Bel, France
History
In the 1950s the commune had about 5,000 residents but it urbanized from 1950 to 1974. As of 2007 the commune had 26,000 people.
In 2007 the mayor at the time, François Pupponi, stated that the city became a "social ghetto" suffered from planning errors made in the 1950s, as the community did not gain the businesses necessary to support the population. Jean-Louis Marsac, the first deputy mayor, stated that the commune grew without gaining the proper infrastructure.
Transport
Villiers-le-Bel is served by no station of the Paris Métro, RER. The closest station to Villiers-le-Bel is Villiers-le-Bel – Gonesse – Arnouville station on Paris RER line D. This station is located in the neighboring commune of Arnouville-lès-Gonesse, 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from the town center of Villiers-le-Bel.
Demography
As of 2007 40% of the commune's population was under the age of 25.
Economy
As of 2007 Charles de Gaulle International Airport is the primary employer of the area. Within Villiers-le-Bel itself the largest employers were the Charles-Richet Hospital, the Flopak conditioning company, Gilson medical material company, and public services.
Education
The commune has 30 educational institutions, including 11 preschools and 11 elementary schools along with four junior high schools and a vocational high school. As of 2007 the commune does not have its own general high school/sixth-form college.
Two nearby senior high schools are in Sarcelles, Lycée la tourelle and Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau. Students attending general high school sutudies go to J. J. Rousseau.
Area universities:
Neighboring communes
2007 riots
On the night of 25 November 2007, gangs attacked a police station in Villiers-le-Bel, torched cars, and vandalized stores. The violence was prompted by the deaths of two adolescents after a crash between their motorbike and a police patrol car at an intersection. The disturbances spread to neighbouring towns on the night of 26 November. 82 police officers were injured, four of them seriously, by shotgun blasts.