Meximieux

For the French wine grape also known as Meximieux, see Meximieux (grape).

Meximieux
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Coat of arms of Meximieux Coat of arms
Meximieux
Location within Rhône-Alpes region Meximieux
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ain
Arrondissement	Bourg-en-Bresse
Canton	Meximieux
Intercommunality	Plaine de l'Ain
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Christian Bussy
Area1	13.75 km2 (5.31 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	7,334
• Density	530/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	01244 / 01800
Elevation	206–310 m (676–1,017 ft) (avg. 226 m or 741 ft)
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.

Meximieux is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.

Geography

Located 35 km north east of Lyon and 10 km from Ambérieu-en-Bugey, the town is where the Dombes plateau meets the plain of the Ain River. Historically, Meximieux was part of the former province of Bresse. Over the centuries, its importance has developed from its location on the main route between Lyon and Geneva, and it now lies on the Autoroute 42 from Lyon.

History

Records of Meximieux date back to Roman times when it home to a small farming settlement called Maximiacus.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	1,565	—
1800	1,691	+8.1%
1806	1,805	+6.7%
1821	1,765	−2.2%
1831	1,997	+13.1%
1836	2,065	+3.4%
1841	2,086	+1.0%
1846	2,286	+9.6%
1851	2,473	+8.2%
1856	2,439	−1.4%
1861	2,552	+4.6%
1866	2,559	+0.3%
1872	2,387	−6.7%
1876	2,363	−1.0%
1881	2,276	−3.7%
1886	2,250	−1.1%
1891	2,137	−5.0%
1896	2,138	+0.0%
1901	2,340	+9.4%
1906	2,104	−10.1%
1911	1,858	−11.7%
1921	1,796	−3.3%
1926	1,895	+5.5%
1931	2,037	+7.5%
1936	2,044	+0.3%
1946	2,089	+2.2%
1954	2,132	+2.1%
1962	2,392	+12.2%
1968	2,669	+11.6%
1975	3,457	+29.5%
1982	4,253	+23.0%
1990	6,230	+46.5%
1999	6,835	+9.7%
2008	7,334	+7.3%

Its inhabitants are known as Meximiards.

International relations

Meximieux has been twinned with German town of Denkendorf, Baden-Württemberg since 1986.

Personalities

The town was the birthplace of Claude Favre de Vaugelas, a 17th-century grammarian and man of letters.

Resistance

Meximieux is one of the 17 French cities to be awarded with the medal of resistance (Médaille de la Résistance). The French resistants of Meximieux fought with the allies in an outstanding collaboration with the U.S. army. This resulted in the victory against a German counter offensive on Meximieux the 1 and 2 September 1944. U.S. Army General, Michael S. Davison, became an honorary citizen of Meximieux.

See also

• Communes of the Ain department

References

• INSEE

External links

• Official site