Saint-James

Saint-James
The church of Saint-Jacques
Saint-James
Location within Lower Normandy region  Saint-James
Coordinates: 48°31′25″N 1°19′24″W / 48.5236°N 1.3233°WCoordinates: 48°31′25″N 1°19′24″W / 48.5236°N 1.3233°W
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Manche
Arrondissement	Avranches
Canton	Saint-James
Intercommunality	Saint-James
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Michel Thoury
Area^1	17.96 km^2 (6.93 sq mi)
Population (1999)^2	2,917
• Density	160/km^2 (420/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	50487 / 50240
Elevation	28–151 m (92–495 ft) (avg. 110 m or 360 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.

Saint-James (French pronunciation: ​[sɛ̃ʒɑm]) is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.

Saint-James is on the border between Normandy and Brittany.

Geography

The rivers Beuvron and Dierge flow through the commune.

History

William the Conqueror built the Saint-James fortress in 1067.

Heraldry

The arms of Saint-James are blazoned : Gules, a gate argent flanked by 2 towers the sinister one taller Or, all masoned sable, in chief 1 escallop and in base 3 escallops argent.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Saint-James is twinned with:

• Erkelenz, Germany
• Beaminster, United Kingdom^[1][2][3][4]

Demographics

Historical population of Saint-James

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999
Population	2415	2452	2489	2766	2976	2917
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places of interest

• Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial

World War II

After the liberation of the area by Allied Forces in 1944, engineers of the Ninth Air Force IX Engineering Command began construction of a combat Advanced Landing Ground outside of the town. Declared operational on 14 August, the airfield was designated as "A-29", it was used by the 373d Fighter Group which flew P-47 Thunderbolts until early September when the unit moved into Central France. Afterward, the airfield was closed.^[5][6]

See also

• Communes of the Manche department

References

1. "British towns twinned with French towns [via WaybackMachine.com]". Archant Community Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
2. "Beaminster twinned with Saint-James". Beaminster Community.net. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
3. Thoury, Michel. "31 ème anniversaire du Jumelage à Beaminster". Site de L'Office de Tourisme Saint James (in French). Retrieved 2013-07-29.
4. "Dorset Twinning Association List". The Dorset Twinning Association. Archived from the original on 2013-06-21. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
5. Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
6. Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.

• INSEE commune file