Bellegarde-sur-Valserine

Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is a former commune in the Ain department in eastern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune of Valserhône.[2]

Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Part of Valserhône
Coat of arms
Location of Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Coordinates: 46°06′30″N 5°49′36″E
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentAin
ArrondissementNantua
CantonBellegarde-sur-Valserine
CommuneValserhône
Area
1
15 km2 (6 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[1]
11,675
 • Density780/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code
01200
Elevation330–1,542 m (1,083–5,059 ft)
(avg. 485 m or 1,591 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography
The Valserine in winter

Bellegarde is located at the confluence of the Valserine and the Rhone.

At this spot, the water of the two rivers runs underground, and it was possible to cross both of them easily. Since the building of the Génissiat dam at Injoux-Génissiat, the level of the Rhône was raised several meters but the pertes de la Valserine are still visible.

Bellegarde lies in a valley dominated by the plateau of Retord on the west and the massif of the Grand Crêt d'Eau and the Vuache on the east. The passage created by the Rhône is the principal access to the area around Gex and the north of Lake Geneva. Since 1st January 2019, Bellegarde belongs to a new commune, with Lancrans and Chatillon-en-Michaille, named Valserhône.

Climate

Bellegarde features an oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen system. However, its position in a valley, near the Jura mountains and far from the ocean generates often cold, snowy winters with frequent temperatures below freezing, and warm to hot, stormy summers.

Climate data for Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, Valserhône, Ain, France, Alt. : 350 m, (1994-2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 5.6
(42.1)		 8.3
(46.9)		 12.5
(54.5)		 16.3
(61.3)		 21.0
(69.8)		 24.9
(76.8)		 27.1
(80.8)		 26.3
(79.3)		 21.6
(70.9)		 17.0
(62.6)		 10.1
(50.2)		 5.7
(42.3)		 16.4
(61.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.9
(35.4)		 3.5
(38.3)		 6.7
(44.1)		 10.2
(50.4)		 14.8
(58.6)		 18.2
(64.8)		 20.2
(68.4)		 19.7
(67.5)		 15.6
(60.1)		 11.8
(53.2)		 6.0
(42.8)		 2.3
(36.1)		 10.9
(51.6)
Average low °C (°F) −1.9
(28.6)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 0.9
(33.6)		 4.0
(39.2)		 8.5
(47.3)		 11.5
(52.7)		 13.3
(55.9)		 13.0
(55.4)		 9.5
(49.1)		 6.6
(43.9)		 1.9
(35.4)		 −1.2
(29.8)		 5.4
(41.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 109.5
(4.31)		 96.6
(3.80)		 91.9
(3.62)		 87.2
(3.43)		 94.0
(3.70)		 74.3
(2.93)		 85.7
(3.37)		 100.2
(3.94)		 100.6
(3.96)		 106.0
(4.17)		 121.2
(4.77)		 118.2
(4.65)		 1,185.4
(46.65)
Source: NOAA

Traffic

Bellegarde is the transfer station to the Swiss Jura Foot Railway.

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±%
200611,497—    
200711,367−1.1%
200811,404+0.3%
200911,679+2.4%
201011,790+1.0%
201111,630−1.4%
201211,590−0.3%
201311,644+0.5%
201411,745+0.9%
201511,809+0.5%
201611,666−1.2%

Twin towns — sister cities

Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is twinned with:

References
  1. Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017, INSEE
  2. Arrêté préfectoral, 22 October 2018 (in French)
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