Saint-Jean-de-Monts
| Saint-Jean-de-Monts | ||
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Town centre of Saint-Jean-de-Monts. | ||
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  Saint-Jean-de-Monts | ||
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Location within Pays de la Loire region  Saint-Jean-de-Monts | ||
| Coordinates: 46°47′37″N 2°03′31″W / 46.7936°N 2.0587°WCoordinates: 46°47′37″N 2°03′31″W / 46.7936°N 2.0587°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Pays de la Loire | |
| Department | Vendée | |
| Arrondissement | Les Sables-d'Olonne | |
| Canton | Saint-Jean-de-Monts | |
| Intercommunality | Océan marais de Monts | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2001–2008) | André Ricolleau | |
| Area1 | 61.72 km2 (23.83 sq mi) | |
| Population (2006)2 | 7,837 | |
| • Density | 130/km2 (330/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 85234 / | |
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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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Saint-Jean-de-Monts (pronounced: [sɛ̃ ʒɑ̃ dɛ mɔ̃]) is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.
Geography
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The town is situated in the west of the département, between Notre-Dame-de-Monts and Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez. It is split in two by a long plantation of pine trees, stretching from north to south along the coast. The centre-ville lies to the east of the cordon, while the seafront forms a lively center to the west.
Saint-Jean-de-Monts is renowned for its sandy beach, more than eight kilometres long. Due to its often low tides, it offers a great area for walkers, fishermen, and beach games.
The town is noteworthy for the recent restoration of its seafront,[1] a vast town planning operation taking over five years to complete. The successful result now means a network of footpaths and cycle tracks are enhanced by an array of plants, flowers and shrubs.
The predominantly flat terrain has allowed for the development of a vast 500 km²[2] network of cyclepaths, known as the Sentiers Cyclables de la Vendée. These paths stretch from the island of Noirmoutier in the north, south past Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie.
History
Since 1867,[3] bathers have been coming to the beach at Saint-Jean-de-Monts in large numbers, and since 1892 it has been the inspiration for many artists. The original church still lies in the center of the old village.
Demographics
| Year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4715 | 5146 | 5540 | 5435 | 5959 | 6886 | 7837 |
| From the year 1963 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once. | |||||||
Places of interest
- The pier on the beach (build in 1964) acts as a pontoon over the sea, and is a popular location for fishermen and walkers, although, unfortunately, during the storm of February 2010, the pier was significantly damaged. It has been completely deconstructed during the winter 2011. The new version of the pier is in progress, a part of it will be available for the summer 2012 and the entire pier will be finished in 2013.
- A sculpture of two birds is in memory of Auguste Lepère and Charles Milcendeau.
- A sculpture by Henry MURAIL (1932-2012), La Baigneuse, at the end of "avenue de la mer", in front of the sea (1999).
- The national forest of 280 hectares, in the heart of the Breton / Vendée marshes, was planted under Napoléon III.
Gallery
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Seafront at Saint-Jean-de-Monts
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Seafront
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Pier
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Apartments
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Beach
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Pre-restoration seafront
See also
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint-Jean-de-Monts. |
- Official website (French)
- Tourisme Saint-Jean-de-Monts (French)
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