Divonne-les-Bains
| Divonne-les-Bains | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
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  Divonne-les-Bains | ||
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Location within Rhône-Alpes region  Divonne-les-Bains | ||
| Coordinates: 46°21′24″N 6°08′34″E / 46.3567°N 6.1428°ECoordinates: 46°21′24″N 6°08′34″E / 46.3567°N 6.1428°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Ain | |
| Arrondissement | Gex | |
| Canton | Gex | |
| Intercommunality | Pays de Gex | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2001–2008) | Étienne Blanc | |
| Area | ||
| • Land1 | 33.88 km2 (13.08 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008) | ||
| • Population2 | 7,806 | |
| • Population2 Density | 230/km2 (600/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 01143 / 01220 | |
| Elevation |
464–1,447 m (1,522–4,747 ft) (avg. 509 m or 1,670 ft) | |
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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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Divonne-les-Bains, is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.
It is a popular spa town.
Divonne lies on the border with French-speaking Switzerland, between the foot of the Jura mountains and Lake Geneva. Geneva itself is 20 minutes away on the Swiss autoroute to the south-west. Nyon, a Swiss market town, is the nearest main town travelling east along Lake Geneva towards Lausanne. On the French side the nearest town is Gex, which lies at the foot of the Col de la Faucille pass by which the main N5 road crosses the Jura in the direction of Dijon.
A short way above the town there are several natural springs. These were already known to the Romans, who built an aqueduct from Divonne to Nyon to supply water to their garrison.
The town is home to some 8000 people, which now includes people from all over the world, for whom Divonne is a pleasant place to live for a few years while they are posted in the Geneva area with multinational companies or international organizations such as the United Nations.
Population
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1793 | 1,185 | — |
| 1800 | 1,275 | +7.6% |
| 1806 | 1,345 | +5.5% |
| 1821 | 1,301 | −3.3% |
| 1831 | 1,335 | +2.6% |
| 1836 | 1,417 | +6.1% |
| 1841 | 1,500 | +5.9% |
| 1846 | 1,385 | −7.7% |
| 1851 | 1,653 | +19.4% |
| 1856 | 1,417 | −14.3% |
| 1861 | 1,356 | −4.3% |
| 1866 | 1,410 | +4.0% |
| 1872 | 1,472 | +4.4% |
| 1876 | 1,427 | −3.1% |
| 1881 | 1,463 | +2.5% |
| 1886 | 1,625 | +11.1% |
| 1891 | 1,560 | −4.0% |
| 1896 | 1,624 | +4.1% |
| 1901 | 1,665 | +2.5% |
| 1906 | 1,625 | −2.4% |
| 1911 | 1,710 | +5.2% |
| 1921 | 1,610 | −5.8% |
| 1926 | 1,721 | +6.9% |
| 1931 | 1,894 | +10.1% |
| 1936 | 1,830 | −3.4% |
| 1946 | 1,721 | −6.0% |
| 1954 | 1,644 | −4.5% |
| 1962 | 2,516 | +53.0% |
| 1968 | 3,276 | +30.2% |
| 1975 | 4,238 | +29.4% |
| 1982 | 4,783 | +12.9% |
| 1990 | 5,580 | +16.7% |
| 1999 | 6,158 | +10.4% |
| 2006 | 7,400 | +20.2% |
| 2008 | 7,806 | +5.5% |
Transportation
Divonne used to have a railway, linking it to Gex and Bellegarde on the French side and to Nyon and Geneva on the Swiss side. The old railway station can still be seen in the town centre. However though trains no longer run in and out of this station, the SNCF administrative offices can still be used to purchase tickets from any SNCF departure point.
Economy
Diamonds were mined in Divonne in the past, and the present-day thermal spa is built on the site of a diamond-cutting works, powered by a water wheel on the Divonne river which still turns today.
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Divonne-les-Bains. |
