Aulnay-sous-Bois

Coordinates: 48°56′03″N 2°30′00″E / 48.93417°N 2.5°E / 48.93417; 2.5

Commune of Aulnay-sous-Bois Residential area, the 2005 riots took place in public housing at the north of the town.
Location
Paris and inner ring départements
Coordinates	48°56′03″N 2°30′00″E / 48.93417°N 2.5°E / 48.93417; 2.5
Administration
Country	France
Region	Île-de-France
Department	Seine-Saint-Denis
Arrondissement	Le Raincy
Canton	2 cantons
Mayor	Gérard Gaudron
Statistics
Elevation	32 m (100 ft) avg.
Land area1	16.2 km2 (6.3 sq mi)
Population2	81,200  (2005 [1])
- Density	5,012 /km² (12,980 /sq mi)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	93005/ 93600
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Aulnay-sous-Bois (French pronunciation: [olnɛsubwa]) is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 13.9 km (8.6 miles) from the centre of Paris.

In October and November 2005, it gained national and international attention as one of the focuses of the French suburb riots.

Name

The name Aulnay comes from Medieval Latin alnetum, meaning "alder grove", after the alder trees (French: aulnes) covering the territory of Aulnay-sous-Bois in ancient times.

Originally called Aulnay-lès-Bondy (meaning "Aulnay near Bondy"), the commune was renamed Aulnay-sous-Bois (meaning "Aulnay under wood") on January 5, 1903. The wood mentioned in the name is the ancient Bondy Forest which covered most of the area to the northeast of Paris.

Demographics

According to INSEE (2004), the average household income is €15,000. Much of the upper-middle class live in the south of the town. The canton of Aulnay-Sud has a very different character from the canton of Aulnay-Nord, owing to differences in education and wages. For example, the average income in the south of the town is around €20,000 - €25,000 (2004), much higher than the national average of €15,000 (2004). Furthermore, the north (Aulnay-Nord) has a high number of HLM (public housing).

Immigration

Transport

Aulnay-sous-Bois is served by Aulnay-sous-Bois station on Paris RER line B.

Administration

Aulnay-sous-Bois is divided into two cantons:

• The canton of Aulnay sous Bois Nord (North): 55,298 inhabitants (69.1%);
• The canton of (South) Aulnay sous Bois Sud: 24,723 inhabitants (30.9%).

Automotive production

In May 1973 it was reported tat the first Citroën DS had emerged from the production line at Citroën's new plant at Aulnay.^[2] The plant has subsequently produced various Citroën and Peugeot models and has on occasion hit the headlines as a focus of industrial strife.

Aulnay is also the site of the subterranean Citroën repository of Citroën archives and 370 Citroën cars produced over the years. The repository is not open to the public, although members of Citroën enthusiasts' clubs and other important visitors are occasionally granted access to it.

References

1. ^ 2005 estimate, 80,021 at the 1999 census
2. ^ "News: The first Citroen DS has rolled off...". Autocar vol 138 (nbr 4016): page 10. date 17 May 1973. 

External links

• Official website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aulnay-sous-Bois

v • d • e Communes of the Seine-Saint-Denis department Aubervilliers · Aulnay-sous-Bois · Bagnolet · Le Blanc-Mesnil · Bobigny · Bondy · Le Bourget · Clichy-sous-Bois · Coubron · La Courneuve · Drancy · Dugny · Épinay-sur-Seine · Gagny · Gournay-sur-Marne · L'Île-Saint-Denis · Les Lilas · Livry-Gargan · Montfermeil · Montreuil · Neuilly-Plaisance · Neuilly-sur-Marne · Noisy-le-Grand · Noisy-le-Sec · Pantin · Les Pavillons-sous-Bois · Pierrefitte-sur-Seine · Le Pré-Saint-Gervais · Le Raincy · Romainville · Rosny-sous-Bois · Saint-Denis · Saint-Ouen · Sevran · Stains · Tremblay-en-France · Vaujours · Villemomble · Villepinte · Villetaneuse