Pontoise

Pontoise

A view of the cathedral of Saint-Maclou, from the Garden of Five Senses, on the promontory of the castle

Coat of arms

Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs
Coordinates: 49°03′06″N 2°06′06″E / 49.0516°N 02.1017°E / 49.0516; 02.1017Coordinates: 49°03′06″N 2°06′06″E / 49.0516°N 02.1017°E / 49.0516; 02.1017
Country France
Region Île-de-France
Department Val-d'Oise
Arrondissement Pontoise
Canton Pontoise
Intercommunality Cergy-Pontoise
Government
 • Mayor (2001–2008) Philippe Houillon
Area1 7.15 km2 (2.76 sq mi)
Population (2011)2 29,885
 • Density 4,200/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 95500 / 95300
Elevation 22–87 m (72–285 ft)
(avg. 27 m or 89 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.

Pontoise(French pronunciation: ​[pɔ̃twɑz]) is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 28.4 km (17.6 mi) from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.

Administration

Pontoise is the official préfecture (capital) of the Val-d'Oise département, although in reality the préfecture building and administration, as well as the department council (conseil général), are located inside the neighboring commune of Cergy, which is regarded as the de facto capital of Val-d'Oise.

Pontoise is also the seat of the Arrondissement of Pontoise. The sous-préfecture building and administration, unlike the préfecture, are located inside the commune of Pontoise.

Security

Known as being a violent city in the past, with a criminal rate of 137.62 incidents per 1000 inhabitants, Cergy-Pontoise has experienced a significant decrease of violence in recent years. By 2008 the rate had declined to 99.87, although this is still considered high.[1]

History

Pontoise is the historical capital of the Vexin français. Its foundation dates from Roman times (Pontisara). At that time, the rock peak overhanging the river Oise supported the defense of the ford which was on the Roman road, the Chaussée Jules César, between Lutetia (Paris) and Rotomagus (Rouen). The road still exists and is now part of the N14 from Paris to Rouen. It is also known to many people as the birthplace of the alchemist Nicholas Flamel.

Climate

Climate data for Pontoise
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.5
(59.9)		 20.0
(68)		 23.2
(73.8)		 29.3
(84.7)		 32.5
(90.5)		 37.1
(98.8)		 38.6
(101.5)		 39.2
(102.6)		 33.9
(93)		 28.8
(83.8)		 21.7
(71.1)		 17.4
(63.3)		 39.2
(102.6)
Average high °C (°F) 6.6
(43.9)		 7.7
(45.9)		 11.4
(52.5)		 14.6
(58.3)		 18.5
(65.3)		 21.6
(70.9)		 24.3
(75.7)		 24.2
(75.6)		 20.5
(68.9)		 15.8
(60.4)		 10.2
(50.4)		 6.8
(44.2)		 15.2
(59.4)
Average low °C (°F) 1.2
(34.2)		 1.1
(34)		 3.2
(37.8)		 4.7
(40.5)		 8.3
(46.9)		 10.8
(51.4)		 12.8
(55)		 12.7
(54.9)		 10.1
(50.2)		 7.6
(45.7)		 4.0
(39.2)		 1.8
(35.2)		 6.6
(43.9)
Record low °C (°F) −17.8
(0)		 −15.4
(4.3)		 −11.1
(12)		 −4.6
(23.7)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 1.0
(33.8)		 4.0
(39.2)		 4.4
(39.9)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 −5.2
(22.6)		 −10.2
(13.6)		 −16.0
(3.2)		 −17.8
(0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 55.8
(2.197)		 43.6
(1.717)		 51.0
(2.008)		 47.2
(1.858)		 60.6
(2.386)		 49.4
(1.945)		 54.5
(2.146)		 48.3
(1.902)		 50.2
(1.976)		 62.4
(2.457)		 52.6
(2.071)		 62.7
(2.469)		 638.3
(25.13)
Average precipitation days 10.8 8.8 10.2 9.1 10.4 9.1 8.2 7.4 8.1 10.4 10.3 11.3 114.0
Source: Météo France[2][3]

Demographics

At the census of 1999, the population was 27,494.
The estimate for 2005 was 28,500.

Immigration

Place of birth of residents of Pontoise in 1999
Born in Metropolitan France Born outside Metropolitan France
68.2% 31.8%
Born in
Overseas France 		Born in foreign countries with French citizenship at birth¹ EU-15 immigrants² Non-EU-15 immigrants
4.8% 3.4% 1.9% 21.7%
¹This group is made up largely of former French settlers, such as pieds-noirs in Northwest Africa, followed by former colonial citizens who had French citizenship at birth (such as was often the case for the native elite in French colonies), and to a lesser extent foreign-born children of French expatriates. Note that a foreign country is understood as a country not part of France in 1999, so a person born for example in 1950 in Algeria, when Algeria was an integral part of France, is nonetheless listed as a person born in a foreign country in French statistics.
²An immigrant is a person born in a foreign country not having French citizenship at birth. Note that an immigrant may have acquired French citizenship since moving to France, but is still considered an immigrant in French statistics. On the other hand, persons born in France with foreign citizenship (the children of immigrants) are not listed as immigrants.

Transport

The railway bridge between Pontoise and Saint-Ouen-l'Aumone

Pontoise is served by Pontoise station, a terminus on Paris RER line C and an intermediate terminus for suburban trains originating from Gare Saint-Lazare as well as a terminus for suburban trains from Gare du Nord. Some trains originating at Gare Saint-Lazare continue onto Gisors. For bus services, Stivo (formerly Services des Transports de l'Agglomération Nouvelle) operates within the new town of Cergy-Pontoise, and in and around Pontoise, with transport interchanges situated Place Charles de Gaulle and Parking Canrobert.

Pontoise – Cormeilles Aerodrome is the area airport.

Culture

Pontoise is one of the capitals of the impressionist movement. Many painters took as a starting point the city and its area for the creation of landscapes. Camille Pissarro lived there for seventeen years. Other artists lived or worked in the area such as Vincent van Gogh (Auvers-sur-Oise), Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Charles-François Daubigny, Gustave Caillebotte, Gustave Loiseau, etc.

Cathédrale Saint Maclou

Main sights

Notable people

A famous religious sister, Blessed Marie de l'Incarnation (1566-1618), formerly known as Madame Acarie, the foundress of the Reformed Carmelites in France, lived, died and was buried here in the Carmelite Monastery.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Le palmarès de la violence, ville par ville, from Le Figaro
  2. ↑ "Données climatiques de la station de Pontoise" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Climat Île-de-France" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  4. ↑ Patricia. "Pontoise". Carmel.asso.fr. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Pontoise, la chapelle du Carmel". Patrimoine-historie.fr. Retrieved 9 January 2015.

External links

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