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Barcelonnette |
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| Place Manuel | |
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Barcelonnette
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Arrondissement | Barcelonnette |
| Canton | Barcelonnette |
| Mayor | Jean-Pierre Aubert (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 1,115–2,680 m (3,658–8,790 ft) (avg. 1,132 m/3,714 ft) |
| Land area1 | 16.42 km2 (6.34 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 2,735 (2008) |
| - Density | 167 /km2 (430 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04019/ 04400 |
| 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. | |
Barcelonnette (Barcilona de Provença in Occitan) is a commune in the Ubaye Valley, in the southern French Alps, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, of which it is a subprefecture.
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The city's name comes from Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Provence, who founded the city in 1231. The vallée de Barcelonnette, the area around the town, belonged to the Duchy of Savoy in the early modern period. At the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), the vallée de Barcelonnette was traded to France. Thus Barcelonnette has only been a French possession since the 18th century.
Barcelonnette is situated in a wide and very fertile valley. It lies at an elevation of 1132 m (3717 ft) on the right bank of the Ubaye River, on which it is the most well-known place.
| Year | 1793 | 1800 | 1806 | 1821 | 1831 | 1836 | 1841 | 1846 | 1851 | 1856 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2050 | 2182 | 2080 | 2130 | 2144 | 2154 | 2267 | 2270 | 2242 | 2153 |
| Year | 1861 | 1866 | 1872 | 1876 | 1881 | 1886 | 1891 | 1896 | 1901 | 1906 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2026 | 2000 | 1919 | 2082 | 2303 | 2234 | 2009 | 2286 | 2363 | 2405 |
| Year | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1946 | 1954 | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2532 | 2216 | 2705 | 2723 | 2987 | 3007 | 3000 | 2432 | 2476 | 2626 |
| Year | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2735 | 2976 | 2819 | 2735 |
The city is mainly a tourist and resort centre, serving many ski lodges.
The city and the region around has been the center of a French emigration wave to the Americas (mostly Mexico) in the late 19th and early beginning 20th centuries. Families which had prospered abroad came back and built the huge mansions that one can see all over the town called Maisons Mexicaines. The construction of such mansions took place primarily from 1880 to 1930. Today, a large community of Barcelonettes live in, Monterrey, Mexico City, San Luis Potosí and Puebla, Mexico. Amongst the most famous of these descendants are the Mexican comedian Eugenio Derbez and the jazz composer and writer Alain Derbez. There are also very successful descendants who play an extremely significant role in the Mexican business community such as the Clariond and Suberville families.