Évry, Essonne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Évry
Part of Évry-Courcouronnes
Évry in 1986
Coat of arms
Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs
Évry Location in France Show map of France Évry Location in Île-de-France (region) Show map of Île-de-France (region)
Country	France
Region	Île-de-France
Department	Essonne
Arrondissement	Évry
Canton	Évry-Courcouronnes
Commune	Évry-Courcouronnes
Area 1	8.33 km2 (3.22 sq mi)
Population  (2018)	53,641
• Density	6,439/km2 (16,678/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code	91000
Elevation	32–95 m (105–312 ft) (avg. 53 m or 174 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Évry is a former town in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It was the main city of the Essonne department. On January 1, 2019, Évry joined with another town, Courcouronnes, to form a new town called Évry-Courcouronnes.

Évry is about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from the center of Paris. It was built in the 1960s as a "new town" to help house many people moving to the Paris area. It became the main and most populated part of this new area.

Some important towns nearby include Courcouronnes, Corbeil-Essonnes, and Ris-Orangis.

What's in a Name?

The town was first called Évry-sur-Seine, meaning "Évry on the Seine River". The name "Évry" comes from an old language called Gallic. It likely meant "land of Eburos," who might have been a leader of a Gallic tribe. Over time, the name changed through Latin and Medieval Latin to become "Évry."

In 1881, the town's name changed to Évry-Petit-Bourg. This happened because of a businessman named Paul Decauville. He owned a large factory there, which was the biggest employer. The factory was in a small area called Petit-Bourg.

Then, on June 29, 1965, the name was shortened back to "Évry." This was because Évry was chosen to become a big "new town" for Paris. The name "Petit-Bourg" (meaning "little town") didn't seem right for a large, modern city.

A Look Back in Time

In 1965, Évry became a "new town" in France. Before this, it was called "Évry-Petit-Bourg" and only had a few thousand people.

When Évry was built, Orly Airport was France's main international airport. Many big international companies, like Digital and Hewlett-Packard, set up their main offices in Évry. But later, Charles de Gaulle Airport grew bigger. Many of these large companies moved away, which also affected smaller businesses in Évry.

Some international companies still have offices nearby, like Accor (a hotel company) and Carrefour (a supermarket chain). Even though their mail goes to Évry, their actual offices are in Courcouronnes.

The town tried to help its economy by making its main shopping center, the Agora, much bigger. It now has many shops. To help shoppers, parking became free on weekends.

Local leaders also created "zone franche" areas. This means new businesses starting in these areas don't have to pay some taxes. This makes Évry an attractive place for new businesses.

The Cathedral of the Resurrection is a special church built in a modern style in the 20th century. It cost a lot to build and can hold 1,400 people. Pope John Paul II visited it in 1997.

In 2003, the mayor, Manuel Valls, started a big plan to make Évry better. This included tearing down some older buildings from the 1960s and improving newer homes and schools. For example, a school called Collège des Pyramides was completely renovated. Other schools were also improved or expanded. New, smaller apartment buildings are replacing older ones. The town is also building a "mall" to connect different parts of the town. This will help when a new tramway line connects Évry directly to Paris.

Manuel Valls was a very popular mayor. In 2008, he was re-elected with a very high number of votes. In 2012, he left his job as mayor to become the Minister of the Interior for France. Francis Chouat then became the new mayor.

Who Lives in Évry?

Rue des Mazières

Évry is one of the youngest towns in France. The average age of people living there is only 26 years old!

In 2011, about 7,000 children started school in Évry's 42 schools. The town spends a lot of money on education. Many staff members help look after children in schools and during sports activities.

Évry has only a few places for older people to live. The town's cemetery is small, and new burials now happen in nearby Courcouronnes.

There are also several children's doctors (pediatricians) in Évry, as well as special units for children in the hospital and clinics.

People from Other Countries

How Évry is Managed

Préfecture building of the Essonne department in Évry

Évry is the préfecture, or capital, of the Essonne department. This means it's where the main government offices for the department are located. Évry is also the official center of the arrondissement of Évry. However, some of the actual government buildings are in the nearby town of Corbeil-Essonnes.

Évry is also the main town of the canton of Évry-Courcouronnes, which includes the new town of Évry-Courcouronnes.

Getting Around

Évry-Courcouronnes station

Évry has good transport links. The RER D train line has three stations in Évry: Évry-Val-de-Seine, Évry-Courcouronnes, and Le Bras-de-Fer. The lines that serve Évry-Courcouronnes and Le Bras-de-Fer were built when the new town was created.

Major roads like the A6 motorway and National 104 are near Évry. The National 7 road goes right through the town. The Seine River is on the east side of Évry, and a new port has been built there for river boats.

Local buses also serve the town, with many different lines to help people get around. At night, special night buses can take you to other train stations or even to Paris.

Economy

Some large companies, like Accor (hotels) and Arianespace (space rockets), have offices near Évry in Courcouronnes. Carrefour, a big supermarket company, also has its main hypermarket office there.

Schools and Learning

As of 2016, Évry had 42 schools with 7,200 students.

Here are some of the schools in Évry:

• Junior High Schools:

* Collège des Pyramides * Collège Galilée * Collège Le Village * Collège Montesquieu * Collège Paul Éluard

• Senior High Schools:

* Lycée Auguste Perret * Lycée Charles Baudelaire * Lycée du Parc des Loges

• Private Schools:

* Collège-Lycée Notre-Dame-De-Sion

• University:

* University of Évry Val d'Essonne

• Specialized Schools (Grande école):

* École nationale supérieure d'informatique pour l'industrie et l'entreprise (for computer science) * Telecom Business School (for business) * Telecom SudParis (for telecommunications)

Places of Worship

Évry has many different religious buildings:

• Grand Mosque of Évry and Islamic Centre: This is one of the largest mosques in France. It has a tall minaret and can hold 5,000 people.
• Cathedral of the Resurrection: A modern church.
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
• Evangelist Centre (Protestant)
• Adventist Church
• Parish church of St Peter & St Paul: A very old church from the 12th century.
• Synagogue
• Notre Dame de l'Esperance
• Convent of Notre Dame de Sion

There is also a new Kingdom Hall for Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Grand Mosque of Évry is one of the biggest in Europe. It has beautiful Moroccan architecture. The Khanh-Anh Pagoda, completed in 2015, is the largest Buddhist temple in Europe. It can hold 1,500 people. The 14th Dalai Lama visited and blessed the pagoda in 2008.

Parks and Fun

Parc-du-Lac Courcouronnes is a large park with a walking path and a small lake. It has a famous climbing wall called "Dame du Lac."

Other Interesting Facts

The famous composer Gioachino Rossini, who wrote the opera The Barber of Seville, once had a home in Évry.

During World War II, a French Resistance fighter named Missak Manouchian was arrested near Évry. A memorial marks the spot. Also, during the war, a bridge was built across the Seine River at Évry by the US Army. While some believe General Patton crossed here, it was actually another US Army unit.

Even though Évry is a modern town, half of its area is green space and parks. The main roads are wide and lined with trees. Évry has won an award for being a "flowered town," showing how much effort goes into making it beautiful. They even have competitions for the best decorated balconies!

Évry is also home to the European space project Ariane, at the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). This is where they work on rockets that launch satellites into space.

Famous People from Évry

• Maud Medenou, basketball player
• Aurélien Ngeyitala, footballer
• Clement Parisse, cross-country skier
• Niska, rapper
• Koba LaD, rapper
• Kodès, rapper
• Bolemvn, rapper

Sister Cities

Évry has "sister city" relationships with several towns around the world. This means they share culture and ideas.

• London Borough of Bexley in England
• Nowy Targ in Poland
• Troisdorf in Germany
• Estelí in Nicaragua
• Repentigny in Quebec, Canada

The larger Évry area also has partnerships with Kayes in Mali and Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. They also have a special "godfather" pact with Bozovici in Romania.

Sports in Évry

Évry has several sports clubs:

• AS Evry in football (soccer)
• The Corsairs of Evry in American football
• The Peaux Rouges in ice hockey
• North South Viry Evry Essonne in athletics

The town has hosted big sports events, like the French Dance Federation meeting. It was also a stage city for the Tour de France bicycle race in 2001.

In 2012, there were plans to build a huge new stadium for the French national rugby team in Évry. It was going to have 82,000 seats and a retractable roof. However, these plans were later canceled in 2016.

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See also

In Spanish: Évry (Essonne) para niños