Saint-Étienne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saint-Étienne
Sant-Etiève (Franco-Provençal)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Prefecture and commune
|
|||
From top to bottom, left to right: view from the Cité du Design, in the centre the Cité des Affaires and the One Station buildings, below the Musée de la Mine, the Place Jean Jaurès garden and the Place du Peuple.
|
|||
|
|||
 Saint-Étienne
Location in France
Saint-Étienne
Location in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
|
|||
| Country | France | ||
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | ||
| Department | Loire | ||
| Arrondissement | Saint-Étienne | ||
| Canton | Saint-Étienne-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 | ||
| Intercommunality | Saint-Étienne Métropole | ||
| Area
1
|
79.97 km2 (30.88 sq mi) | ||
| Population
(2021)
|
172,718 | ||
| • Rank | 14th in France | ||
| • Density | 2,159.78/km2 (5,593.8/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Stéphanois | ||
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) | ||
| INSEE/Postal code |
42218 /42000, 42100, 42230
|
||
| Elevation | 422–1,117 m (1,385–3,665 ft) (avg. 516 m or 1,693 ft) |
||
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |||
.svg)
Saint-Étienne is a cool city in central France. It's the main city, or prefecture, of the Loire area. You can find it about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of Lyon.
Saint-Étienne is the 13th most populated city in France. It's also the second biggest city in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The people who live here are called Stéphanois.
This city was once famous for making weapons, bicycles, and ribbons. It was also a big center for coal mining. Today, Saint-Étienne is changing! It's working to become a "design capital" for the 21st century. In 2010, UNESCO recognized it for its creativity in design. The city is building new business areas and shopping centers.
Saint-Étienne is also well-known for its amazing football team, AS Saint-Étienne. They have won the top French league, Ligue 1, ten times!
Contents
A Look Back: Saint-Étienne's History
The city is named after Saint Stephen. It first appeared in history as Saint-Étienne de Furan. This name came from the River Furan. In the 1200s, it was a small village around a church.
By the 1500s, Saint-Étienne started making weapons. This industry became very important for the town. Later, in the 1600s, it also became known for making ribbons.
Even later, it became a major center for coal mining. More recently, it became famous for making bicycles.
In the early 1800s, Saint-Étienne was a small town with about 33,000 people. But as industries grew, its population quickly rose to 110,000 by 1880. Because it was growing so fast, Saint-Étienne became the main city of the Loire area in 1855. It took over from Montbrison.
How Many People Live Here?
The numbers below show how the population of Saint-Étienne has changed over time. The city has grown by adding nearby towns over the years.
| Historical population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968–2017) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fun Facts and Culture
In the early 1900s, Saint-Étienne became a popular stop for people traveling by car.
Since 1998, Saint-Étienne has hosted a big design event called a biennale. It happens every two years and lasts about two weeks. A special design center, La Cité du design, opened in 2009. It's built on the site of an old arms factory.
The city also has the Massenet Festival. This festival celebrates the music of Jules Massenet, a famous composer from the area. In 2000, Saint-Étienne was named one of the "French Towns and Lands of Art and History." In 2010, UNESCO officially named it a "City of Design."
Saint-Étienne has four interesting museums:
- The Musée d'Art Moderne has one of the largest collections of modern art in France.
- The Musée de la Mine tells the story of coal mining.
- The Musée d'Art et d'Industrie shows art and industrial history.
- The Musée du vieux Saint-Étienne explores the city's old history.
The city also has many historic buildings and sites.
Weather in Saint-Étienne
The weather in Saint-Étienne is generally mild. The city center is quite high up, over 530 meters (1,739 feet). Some southern parts are even higher, above 700 meters (2,297 feet). Saint-Étienne often gets a lot of snow, with about 85 cm (2.79 feet) of snow each year.
| Climate data for Saint-Étienne–Bouthéon Airport (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1946–present), Alt: 400 m / 1312 ft | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.0 (68.0) |
23.2 (73.8) |
26.4 (79.5) |
28.8 (83.8) |
33.7 (92.7) |
37.8 (100.0) |
41.1 (106.0) |
39.3 (102.7) |
36.0 (96.8) |
29.2 (84.6) |
25.2 (77.4) |
20.2 (68.4) |
41.1 (106.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.3 (45.1) |
8.8 (47.8) |
13.1 (55.6) |
16.3 (61.3) |
20.3 (68.5) |
24.5 (76.1) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.9 (80.4) |
22.2 (72.0) |
17.3 (63.1) |
11.4 (52.5) |
8.0 (46.4) |
16.9 (62.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.8 (38.8) |
4.5 (40.1) |
7.8 (46.0) |
10.7 (51.3) |
14.6 (58.3) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.7 (69.3) |
20.6 (69.1) |
16.4 (61.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
7.6 (45.7) |
4.6 (40.3) |
11.9 (53.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.3 (32.5) |
0.2 (32.4) |
2.6 (36.7) |
5.0 (41.0) |
9.0 (48.2) |
12.6 (54.7) |
14.4 (57.9) |
14.2 (57.6) |
10.7 (51.3) |
8.1 (46.6) |
3.7 (38.7) |
1.1 (34.0) |
6.9 (44.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −25.6 (−14.1) |
−22.5 (−8.5) |
−13.9 (7.0) |
−7.4 (18.7) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
2.9 (37.2) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−18.6 (−1.5) |
−25.6 (−14.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 38.3 (1.51) |
30.3 (1.19) |
33.9 (1.33) |
55.0 (2.17) |
81.5 (3.21) |
80.8 (3.18) |
77.2 (3.04) |
72.8 (2.87) |
70.3 (2.77) |
76.2 (3.00) |
73.0 (2.87) |
39.0 (1.54) |
728.3 (28.67) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 7.8 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 9.2 | 10.1 | 8.8 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 7.6 | 97.9 |
| Average snowy days | 5.1 | 5.8 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 4.6 | 20.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 81 | 78 | 73 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 68 | 71 | 75 | 80 | 81 | 83 | 75.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 81.4 | 108.6 | 162.3 | 186.2 | 213.7 | 240.7 | 275.1 | 259.1 | 193.2 | 134.7 | 87.6 | 75.8 | 2,018.4 |
| Source 1: Météo France | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity, 1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
Sports in Saint-Étienne
The city's football team, AS Saint-Étienne, is super successful! They have won the top French league title ten times. A British band even named themselves "Saint Etienne" after the club.
Saint-Étienne has many sports places. The biggest is Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, used for football. Stade Henri-Lux is for athletics. The city was once the capital of the French bicycle industry. Companies like Mavic, Motobécane, and Vitus are based here. The city often hosts a stage of the famous Tour de France bicycle race.
Thierry Gueorgiou, a world champion in orienteering, lives in Saint-Étienne. The local rugby union team is CA Saint-Étienne Loire Sud Rugby.
Getting Around Saint-Étienne
The closest airport is Saint-Étienne–Bouthéon Airport. It's about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) north of the city. The main train station is Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux station. From here, you can take fast trains to Paris and Lyon. There are also four other local train stations.
Saint-Étienne is special because it kept its tramway system throughout the 20th century. Only one other French city did this! It also has a trolleybus system, which is a bus powered by overhead electric lines. Only two other cities in France have these.
Buses and trams are run by a company called STAS. Since 2010, you can also rent bicycles through the Vélivert system.
Schools and Universities
Saint-Étienne has several important schools and universities:
- Jean Monnet University
- École d'Économie - Saint-Étienne School of Economics (SE²)
- École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne (EMSE or ENSMSE)
- École nationale d'ingénieurs de Saint-Étienne (ENISE)
- Telecom Saint Étienne (TSE)
- EMLYON Business School
- ENSASE (École National Supérieure d'Architecture de Saint-Étienne)
Famous Faces from Saint-Étienne
Many notable people were born in Saint-Étienne, including:
- René Diaz, a French journalist and artist.
- Augustin Dupré (1748–1833), who designed French coins and medals.
- Claude Fauriel (1772–1844), a historian and writer.
- Saint Marcellin Champagnat (1789–1840), a Catholic priest who started the Marist Brothers.
- Antonin Moine (1796–1849), a sculptor.
- Jules Janin (1804–1874), a writer and critic.
- Francis Garnier (1839–1873), an officer and explorer.
- Lucie Grange (1839–1908), a feminist and newspaper founder.
- Jules Massenet (1842–1912), a famous composer known for his operas.
- Paul de Vivie, also known as Velocio (1853–1930), who helped popularize bicycle touring.
- Claudine Chomat (1915–1995), a feminist and communist activist during World War II.
- Jean Bonfils (1921–2007), a classical organist and composer.
- André Bourgey (1936), a geographer.
- Jean-Michel Othoniel (1963), a modern artist.
- Bernard Lavilliers (born 1946), a singer.
- Orlan (1947–), a contemporary artist.
- Willy Sagnol (born 1977), a French international football player.
- Jean Guitton (1901–1999), a Catholic philosopher.
- Thierry Gueorgiou (born 1979), a world champion in Orienteering.
- Norma Ray (born 1970), a singer.
- Alexis Ajinça (born 1988), a basketball player.
- Sylvain Armand (born 1980), a footballer.
- Sliimy (born 1988), a singer.
- Aravane Rezai (born 1987), a tennis player.
- Loïc Perrin (born 1985), a footballer.
- Théophile Naël (born 2007), a racing driver.
Saint-Étienne Around the World: Twin Cities
Saint-Étienne has "twin city" relationships with many cities around the world. This means they share cultural and educational ties.
|
See also
In Spanish: Saint-Étienne para niños
