Nice metropolitan area
Encyclopedia
Nice metropolitan area as defined by INSEE
is a residential area near Nice
. It has 933,020 inhabitants and an area that covers a large strip of territory from the city of Villefranche-sur-Mer
to the westernmost part of the Alpes-Maritimes
département, including cities like Antibes
, Grasse
, Cannes
and Cagnes-sur-Mer
.
The urbanized area began to spread outside city limits, in La Trinité
to the North, Villefranche-sur-Mer
to the East and Cagnes-sur-Mer
to the West. In the meantime, old cities, about 30 km to the West, like Grasse
, Cannes
, Antibes
were experiencing regular growth as well.
After World War II
, growth increased with the development of mass tourism and development of transports in the region. The consequences of the end of the Algerian War were also very important for the region's population, with many Pied-Noir
s settling in the area. The growth in main cities decreased, while new town were growing very quickly like Saint-Laurent-du-Var
, Vallauris
, Le Cannet
.
In the 1990 census, INSEE identified two distinct aire urbaine
s in the département : Nice
, with 539,217 inhabitants, and Cannes-Grasse-Antibes with 352,000 inhabitants.
Only nine years later, with the 1999 census, the two aires merged to form French sixth aire urbaine.
The table below shows the evolution of the seven most important communes parts of nowadays aire urbaine of Nice (census data).
Transportation is based on a railway line and vital A8 autoroute
, built from 1966.
Nice Côte d'Azur Airport is the second biggest in France
with more than 9 million passengers welcomed every year.
INSEE
INSEE is the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. It collects and publishes information on the French economy and society, carrying out the periodic national census. Located in Paris, it is the French branch of Eurostat, European Statistical System...
is a residential area near Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
. It has 933,020 inhabitants and an area that covers a large strip of territory from the city of Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
to the westernmost part of the Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...
département, including cities like Antibes
Antibes
Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
, Grasse
Grasse
-See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*...
, Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
and Cagnes-sur-Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Geography:It is the largest suburb of the city of Nice and lies to the west-southwest of it, about from the center.-History:...
.
History
In the beginning of the nineteenth century, Nice was a 20,000 inhabitants city belonging to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. It grew steadily to reach 48,273 inhabitants in 1861, one year after annexation to the French Second Empire. By the end of the century, the population was over 100,000.The urbanized area began to spread outside city limits, in La Trinité
La Trinité, Alpes-Maritimes
La Trinité is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-History:Formerly a small town located on kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia main road from Nice to capital Turin, it is located on the left bank of the Paillon river...
to the North, Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
to the East and Cagnes-sur-Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Geography:It is the largest suburb of the city of Nice and lies to the west-southwest of it, about from the center.-History:...
to the West. In the meantime, old cities, about 30 km to the West, like Grasse
Grasse
-See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*...
, Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, Antibes
Antibes
Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
were experiencing regular growth as well.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, growth increased with the development of mass tourism and development of transports in the region. The consequences of the end of the Algerian War were also very important for the region's population, with many Pied-Noir
Pied-noir
Pied-Noir , plural Pieds-Noirs, pronounced , is a term referring to French citizens of various origins who lived in French Algeria before independence....
s settling in the area. The growth in main cities decreased, while new town were growing very quickly like Saint-Laurent-du-Var
Saint-Laurent-du-Var
Saint-Laurent-du-Var is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-History:The town was founded in the 11th century when an hospice was founded under Saint Lawrence's protection...
, Vallauris
Vallauris
Vallauris is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is located in the metropolitan area of Sophia-Antipolis, and is today effectively an extension of the town of Antibes, bordering it on its west side.-Population:-Culture:In...
, Le Cannet
Le Cannet
Le Cannet is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Location:Le Cannet is located on the north of Cannes, on the French Riviera...
.
In the 1990 census, INSEE identified two distinct aire urbaine
Aire urbaine
The aire urbaine is a statistical region created by the INSEE that comprises a commuter belt surrounding a contiguous urban core...
s in the département : Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, with 539,217 inhabitants, and Cannes-Grasse-Antibes with 352,000 inhabitants.
Only nine years later, with the 1999 census, the two aires merged to form French sixth aire urbaine.
The table below shows the evolution of the seven most important communes parts of nowadays aire urbaine of Nice (census data).
| City | 1901 | 1954 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nice Nice Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of... |
105 109 | 244 360 | 342 738 |
| Antibes Antibes Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes... |
10 947 | 27 064 | 72 412 |
| Cannes Cannes Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department.... |
30 420 | 50 192 | 67 304 |
| Cagnes-sur-Mer Cagnes-sur-Mer Cagnes-sur-Mer is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Geography:It is the largest suburb of the city of Nice and lies to the west-southwest of it, about from the center.-History:... |
3 381 | 11 066 | 43 942 |
| Grasse Grasse -See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*... |
15 429 | 22 187 | 43 874 |
| Le Cannet Le Cannet Le Cannet is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Location:Le Cannet is located on the north of Cannes, on the French Riviera... |
3 097 | 11 601 | 42 158 |
| Saint-Laurent-du-Var Saint-Laurent-du-Var Saint-Laurent-du-Var is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-History:The town was founded in the 11th century when an hospice was founded under Saint Lawrence's protection... |
1 530 | 5 623 | 27 141 |
Geography
The aire urbaine consists in a narrow strip of land along the sea : 50 km long (31 miles) and between 5 and 15 km wide (between 3 and 9 miles).Transportation is based on a railway line and vital A8 autoroute
A8 autoroute
The A8 autoroute, La Provençale, is a -long highway in France between Aix-en-Provence and the A7 to the Côte d'Azur.- Route :The A8 is an extension of the A7 starting to the west of Aix-en-Provence at La Fare-les-Oliviers. The road passes through the Departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and...
, built from 1966.
Nice Côte d'Azur Airport is the second biggest in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with more than 9 million passengers welcomed every year.
Organisation
This statistic-based metropolitan area is divided into multiple administrative divisions. Among them are :- The Agglomeration community of Nice Côte d'Azur, that groups 24 communes, not all of them belonging to the metropolitan area. This agglomeration community is 328,5 square kilometers large and hosts 489 000 inhabitants, 70 % of them in the main city.
- The Agglomeration community of Sophia-Antipolis (Communauté d'agglomération de Sophia-Antipolis): 159,392 inhabitants, with Antibes and the self-proclaimed "French Silicon Valley" Sophia-Antipolis in it.
- Agglomeration community of the Middle Provence Country (Communauté d'agglomération du Moyen Pays Provençal): 65,614 inhabitants
- Commune community of the Paillons Country (Communauté de communes du Pays des Paillons): 20,716 inhabitants