Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
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Location within Rhône-Alpes region
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
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| Country | France | |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Ain | |
| Arrondissement | Nantua | |
| Canton | Bellegarde-sur-Valserine | |
| Intercommunality | Bassin Bellegardien | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Régis Petit | |
| Area1 | 15 km2 (6 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008)2 | 11,404 | |
| • Density | 760/km2 (2,000/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 01033 / 01200 | |
| Elevation | 330–1,542 m (1,083–5,059 ft) (avg. 485 m or 1,591 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. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | ||
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Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.
Geography
Bellegarde is located at the confluence of the Valserine and the Rhone.
At this spot, the water of the two rivers runs underground, and it was possible to cross both of them easily. Since the building of the Génissiat dam at Injoux-Génissiat, the level of the Rhône was raised several meters but the pertes de la Valserine are still visible.
Bellegarde lies in a valley dominated by the plateau of Retord on the west and the massif of the Grand Crêt d'Eau and the Vuache on the east. The passage created by the Rhône is the principal access to the area around Gex and the north of Lake Geneva.
Traffic
Bellegarde is the transfer station to the Swiss Jura foot railway line.
Population
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1793 | 162 | — |
| 1800 | 148 | −8.6% |
| 1806 | 172 | +16.2% |
| 1821 | 211 | +22.7% |
| 1831 | 360 | +70.6% |
| 1836 | 390 | +8.3% |
| 1841 | 443 | +13.6% |
| 1846 | 445 | +0.5% |
| 1851 | 461 | +3.6% |
| 1856 | 574 | +24.5% |
| 1861 | 643 | +12.0% |
| 1866 | 624 | −3.0% |
| 1872 | 829 | +32.9% |
| 1876 | 1,054 | +27.1% |
| 1881 | 1,463 | +38.8% |
| 1886 | 1,725 | +17.9% |
| 1891 | 2,222 | +28.8% |
| 1896 | 2,494 | +12.2% |
| 1901 | 3,183 | +27.6% |
| 1906 | 3,276 | +2.9% |
| 1911 | 3,953 | +20.7% |
| 1921 | 4,135 | +4.6% |
| 1926 | 4,664 | +12.8% |
| 1931 | 5,293 | +13.5% |
| 1936 | 5,071 | −4.2% |
| 1946 | 5,407 | +6.6% |
| 1954 | 5,743 | +6.2% |
| 1962 | 6,588 | +14.7% |
| 1968 | 9,249 | +40.4% |
| 1975 | 11,593 | +25.3% |
| 1982 | 11,097 | −4.3% |
| 1990 | 11,153 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 10,878 | −2.5% |
| 2008 | 11,404 | +4.8% |
Twin towns — Sister cities
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is twinned with:
Saint-Christophe, Aosta Valley, Italy (2000)
Bretten, Germany (2001)
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine. |
