Beausoleil, Alpes-Maritimes

Beausoleil (French: [bosɔlɛj]; Occitan: Bèusoleu [ˌbɛwsuˈlew]; lit. 'Beautiful Sun') is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It adjoins the Principality of Monaco to the north. The commune of Beausoleil was established in 1904; it was supposed to be named Monte-Carlo Supérieur (French: [mɔ̃t kaʁlɔ sypeʁjœʁ]; lit. 'Upper Monte Carlo') for a time but the idea was abandoned after protests from Monégasque authorities. In 2017, it had a population of 13,607.

Beausoleil

Bèusoleu  (Occitan)
Commune
Riviera Palace
Coat of arms
Location of Beausoleil
Beausoleil
Beausoleil
Coordinates: 43°44′33″N 7°25′28″E
CountryFrance
RegionProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
DepartmentAlpes-Maritimes
ArrondissementNice
CantonBeausoleil
IntercommunalityRiviera française
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Gérard Spinelli
Area
1
5.48 km2 (2.12 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
13,607
 • Density2,500/km2 (6,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
06012 /06240
Elevation40–621 m (131–2,037 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography
Place du Marché (Market Square)

Located on a hillside above the city-state of Monaco, Beausoleil is surrounded by the Tête de Chien and Agel mountains. It is urbanistically contiguous with the principality and shares some streets, as the Boulevard de France, the Boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc, and the Avenue du Maréchal Foch. Its municipality borders with the Monégasque wards of Monte Carlo, Saint Roman, Saint Michel, Moneghetti and Les Révoires; and with the French municipalities of La Turbie, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Peille.[2]

Economy

The commune is intertwined with Monaco. It functions to some extent as a bedroom community as many of its residents are employed in Monaco. The main part of the town consists of Belle Époque houses with ornate entrances. Attractions within Beausoleil include the Gustave Eiffel covered market, St Joseph's Sanctuary (a church with ornate stained-glass windows) and the Fontdivina Fountain and Wash House.

Given the town's proximity to Monaco, real estate in Beausoleil is prohibitively expensive for many. There is a sense in which the even more expensive Monaco exports its worker accommodation challenge to Beausoleil, which, in turn, exports its own acute accommodation challenge to other French towns further inland.

Politics

The town's border with Monaco was largely fixed during the 18th century. What is now known as Beausoleil was administered from La Turbie prior to 1904, when the town was incorporated. Along with other French communes adjacent to Monaco, the electorate has traditionally had a sizable proportion which is left-leaning: Roger Bennati, mayor of the town 1989-1995, served under Communist affiliation. Monaco's political parties are more right-leaning.

Former mayors
DateNameParty
1904Camille Blanc
1929Jacques Subles
1935Paul-Joseph Chiabault
1941François Rochesani
1943Arthur Audoly
1944Marius Floret
1944Auguste Dubar
1953Paul-Joseph Chiabault
1971Paul Massa
1986André Vanco
1989Roger BennatiPCF
1995Gérard SpinelliUDF
2001Robert VialDivers Gauche
2008Gérard Spinelli

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±%
196814,144—    
197512,208−13.7%
198211,664−4.5%
199012,326+5.7%
199912,775+3.6%
200814,078+10.2%

Beausoleil is the home of many Filipino and Portuguese immigrants.

Education

Schools in Beausoleil:[3]

  • Groupe Paul Doumer et Jean Jaurès (preschool/nursery and elementary school in two campuses)
  • Groupe Les Cigales (preschool/nursery and elementary school)
  • Groupe Les Copains (preschool/nursery and elementary school)
  • École du Ténao (preschool/nursery and elementary school)
  • Collège Bellevue (junior high school)

Transport

The Gare de Monaco-Monte-Carlo is located on the border between Beausoleil and Monaco.

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Beausoleil map at OpenStreetMap
  3. "Les écoles." Beausoleil. Retrieved on April 13, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.