Arpajon ancien.svg

Arpajon () is a commune in the Essonne department in the Île-de-France region of northern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arpajonnais'' or ''Arpajonnaises''.

The commune has been awarded three flowers by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.

Geography

Location

Arpajon is the capital of a canton located in the Paris urban area in the heart of the department of Essonne and the natural region of Hurepoix some 31 km south of Paris ( Notre-Dame - point zero for distances from Paris), 15 kilometres west of Évry, 14 km south of Palaiseau, 6 km south of Montlhéry, 14 km north-west of La Ferté-Alais, 19 km east of Dourdan, 17 km west of Corbeil-Essonnes, 18 km north of Étampes, and 26 km north-west of Milly-la-Forêt.

The commune is also 410 km north of its homonym Arpajon-sur-Cère in Cantal department., the original stronghold of the lords of the town.

The commune consists of only 240 hectares but it is the capital of Arpajonnais Country which extends from Breuillet in the east to Brétigny-sur-Orge in the west and from Leuville-sur-Orge in the north to Cheptainville in the south. The relatively small size of the commune does not preclude a significant height differential from 89 to 47 metres altitude which causes a relatively large concentration of buildings on nearly 80% of the territory. Agricultural areas, which represent only 10% of the territory, are located in the extreme north-east of the commune along Route nationale 20.

Hydrography

Arpajon lies at the confluence of the ''Rémarde'' and the Orge rivers which join then separate in the centre of the town to permanently join at the border with Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon. On the communal area the two rivers flow in parallel, the Rémarde coming from the west from Ollainville and, further south, the Orge comes from Égly with both streams flowing towards the north-east.

Relief and geology

The city centre is in the Orge valley at an altitude of approximately 47 metres but the territory extending north and south rises rapidly to the Avrainville plateau in the south, La Norville in the east, and the start of the Linas hill to the north which means it is necessary to climb to exit the commune. The highest point in the commune at 89 metresGéoportail
IGN is located north of the Butte-aux-Grès area near the Linas forest. Due to the low height of the town relative to the surroundings there are many television receiving antennae which are sometimes ten metres above the roofs.

The territory lies on the boundary of the limestone geological area of the Paris basin and the sand of the Beauce with, in the extreme north, the remains of sandstone quarries.

Climate

Arpajon is located in Île-de-France and enjoys an attenuated oceanic climate characterized by cold winters, warm summers, and rainfall evenly distributed over the year. The average temperatures recorded at the departmental station at Brétigny-sur-Orge (5 km north-east of Arpajon) came to 10.8 °C with average maximum and minimum of 15.2 °C and 6.4 °C. The actual maximum and minimum temperatures recorded are 24.5 °C in July and 0.7 °C in January with record temperatures of 38.2 °C on 1 July 1952 and -19.6 °C on 17 January 1985. The situation in the large suburbs of the commune leads to a lower urban density than Paris with a negative difference of one to two degrees Celsius compared to Paris. Located near the Paris city centre and without the presence of large areas of culture, however, sunshine hours for the commune amounted to 1,798 annually as it is throughout the north of the department. With 598.3 millimeters of rainfall over the year and an approximate distribution of 50 mm per month, the town receives rainfall in the same proportion as other regions north of the Loire.

Weather Data for Brétigny-sur-Orge

Communication and transport

The main transport route for the commune is Route nationale 20 which has avoided the centre of town by a deviation west since 1956 and crosses Arpajon from north to south. The commune is also the point of convergence of three important departmental roads: the D116D that leads to Dourdan in the west, the D449 that leads to La Ferté-Alais in the south, and the D152 that leads to Brétigny-sur-Orge in the east and to Limours in the west which is duplicated by the D97 which also goes to Limours. In addition there are the D192 which is a fast route through the Arpajon-Égly-Breuillet urban area and the D193 which connects to the D19. The commune is located four kilometres south of the Francilienne, a major regional axis that allows quick access to the A10 autoroute and A6 autoroute.

The Bretigny-Tours railway passes across the commune from west to east with Arpajon C4 RER station in the south of the commune served by two trains per hour.

The town is also served by:
*Albatrans bus network:
**Route 91.04 to Évry
*Daniel Meyer bus network:
**Route DM151 to Paris-Porte d'Orléans 19
**Route DM153 to Massy-Palaiseau
**Route DM19 to Brétigny-sur-Orge 20
**Route DM20 to Arpajonnais Country between Égly and Norville 21 .
*Ormont bus network:
**Route 68.01 to Bruyeres-le-Chatel
**Route 68.05 to Boissy-sous-Saint-Yon 22, 23 .
*Savac bus network:
**Route 39.18 to Limours-en-Hurepoix 24 .
*CEAT bus network:
**Route 10.20 from Paris to Angerville
**Route 10.21 from Paris to Méréville

There are also some shuttle buses providing free transport in the commune with some dedicated to the elderly.

Orly Airport is located 18 kilometres away and accessible by Route nationale 20. Charles de Gaulle Airport is located 51 km away. For general aviation the Étampes - Mondésir Aerodrome (ICAO: LFOX) is 27 kilometres away.

Localities, places, and areas

The commune is not extensive so it does not any division into districts. Nevertheless, it is possible to distinguish the city centre, the railway station area, and the Cerpied Mill. In the north, nearby, is a place called ''La Montagne'' in reference to the slope to get there from the city centre and, in the extreme north, there is the former Folies quarter which has now become the business district of Butte-aux-Grès. A second business area, Les Belles-Vues, is reminiscent of the once agricultural character of the commune.

Toponymy

The Gallo-Romans placed a castrum to monitor the passage of along the Orge between ''Lutèce'' and Cenabum. The castrum became ''Chastres'' around the year 250 then ''Châtres'' (sometimes ''Châtres-sous-Montlhery'') in the 17th century with the reform of spelling and the appearance of the circumflex in place of the silent "s". ''Chastres'' could also mean "land of rivers" in "the barbarian language".

In 1720 Louis de Severac, who was from the Arpajon family of Rouergue bought the marquisate of Châtres. He obtained the privilege of giving his name to the city from the regent Philippe d'Orléans and he called it ''Arpajon'', spreading the use of the name by beating the peasants who had the misfortune to answer ''Châtres'' to the question "where do you reside?". In 1794 Philippe de Noailles and his wife Anne d'Arpajon, first lady of honour to Marie-Antoinette, were guillotined. In 1793 the commune took the name of ''Franc-val'' or ''Franeval'' but returned to Arpajon in 1801.

Similar to Avignon and Arles the preposition "in" is not used. "A residence at Arpajon" is correct while "a residence in Arpajonnais" is also correct usage.

History

Origins

At the time of Roman Gaul there was a castrum was installed at the intersection of the road from ''Lutèce'' to Cenabum and the river Orge in the valley that was the territory of the Parisii tribe. The discovery in 1960 of the remains, which included a Gallo-Roman cemetery, certify this ancient occupation. The evolution of the name to ''Chastres'' is sometimes dated to the year 250. Two megalithic monuments remain: one in the Library Park and the other near the Rémarde river an inscription in Gallic was found in 1947 and is kept in the Municipal Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

From Chastres to Arpajon

In the 10th century the first church was built in the village but it was quickly ruined. In 1006 the rebuilding of the church and steeple was entrusted to the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Saint-Maur by Renaud de Vendôme, bishop of Paris and it was consecrated to Pope Clement I. They added a cloister, a priory, and a tithe barn.

A document dated 1265 attests to the presence of a Hotel-Dieu at Arpajon for the accommodation of travelers and the poor. There were also several mills on the Orge and the Rémarde. The town was fortified and had five entrances.

In 1317 Pierre de Chastres was buried in the parish church. In 1360, during the Hundred Years War, the city was besieged by King Edward III of England and the church where there were eight hundred refugees was burned leaving no survivors.

In 1470 the lordship of Chastres belonged to the lord of Marcoussis. In July 1470 King Louis XI authorised two fair days at Chastres for his counselor and chamberlain Jean du Graville by letters patent. Louis Malet de Graville built a Market hall at the crossroads of the Paris to Étampes and Dourdan to Corbeil roads.

In 1510 the monks, through the generosity of the Graville and Montagu families undertook major renovations of the church and in 1542 a sub-delegation of Chastres was attached to the ''Generality of Paris''. In 1545 the lordship of Chastres became independent.

In 1643 the bell named ''Antoinette'' was cast. On 28 April 1652 Turenne stationed his troops at Châtres to protect the court at Saint-Germain before he marched on Étampes on 3 May.

In 1717 the Hotel-Dieu was completely rebuilt. In 1720 Louis de Severac, Marquis of Arpajon from the great medieval family of Arpajon, bought and obtained from Philippe d'Orléans the privilege of giving his name to the commune. However, the adoption of the new name took a long time and peasants who refused to abandon the name of Châtres were beaten up. He also promised to reduce local taxes for two years. The Canting arms of the city come from this family. In 1733 he knocked down the old city gate in the north which was too narrow for many carts and instead erected two Pilasters which are the current ''Porte de Paris''. He died on 21 August 1736 and was buried in the choir of the parish church.

The French Revolution and growth

In 1782 Benjamin Franklin installed a lightning rod on the spire of the Church of Saint Clement. At the Revolution the town chose to adopt the name of ''Francval''. There was a custom to give the name of the place of baptism as a second or third name: thus a boy was named Francval in year II.

Philippe de Noailles was lord of Arpajon and he was long in great favour at court with his wife being first lady of honour to Marie Antoinette, nicknamed by her Madame Etiquette. This Court favour brought down punishment in the days of the Revolution and the old marshal and his wife were guillotined on 27 June 1794.

The castle was sold in 1802 and demolished. In 1800 the Canton of Arpajon was created then attached to the Arrondissement of Corbeil in the department of Seine-et-Oise. In 1806 Napoleon I and Empress Josephine visited the town and made offering at the high altar of the church. In 1833 a large Post and Telegraph office was opened.

In 1851 the Martin brothers, originating from Limoges, set up a shoe factory which, in 1900, employed 450 adults and about 50 children. It was bought by ''André shoes'' in 1920 and closed its doors forever in 1956. In 1868 the commune built a City Hall for use instead of the feudal castle. Then, in 1889, it bought the Pagoda that was presented by Tonkin during the Universal Exhibition of Paris.

In the same year the ''Compagnie de chemin de fer sur route de Paris à Arpajon'' (Railway Company for the Paris to Arpajon route) which in 1893 opened the Porte d'Orléans-Antony and Antony-Longjumeau-Montlhery sections then the Montlhery-Arpajon section in 1894 for passengers. In the surrounding villages of Marcoussis, Linas, and Montlhéry, market gardening was very important and from 1911 to 1936 led to expansion of the railway to transport tomatoes, strawberries, and beans grown in the fields to the Paris markets.

In the second half of the 19th century the ''Boulevard de la Gare'' was opened with the inauguration of the railway station in 1865 and the construction of holiday villas.

;Modernisation of Arpajon in the 19th century

Image:ARPAJON - La Gare.JPG, Arpajon railway station at the beginning of the 20th century.
Image:ARPAJON - Station des Tramways.jpg, The Arpajonnais tramway station behind Arpajon railway station was used at the beginning of the 20th century by the CGB.
Image:Arpajonhalle1920.jpg, The covered market at the beginning of the 19th century.

Modern History

In 1922 the first ''Bean Fair'' was inaugurated which was classified as a national fair in 1970. On 6 July 1924 on the long, straight Route nationale 20 between Arpajon and Torfou, René Thomas set a land speed record of in a Delage called ''La Torpille'' (The Torpedo) followed, on 12 July 1924, by Ernest A.D. Eldridge who increased the record to in a Fiat Special called ''Mephistopheles II''. In 1934 the Hôtel-Dieu became a hospice as a result of the construction of the first hospital outside the town. On 22 August 1944 the commune was liberated by the Leclerc division. In 1948 Abel Cornaton, mayor of the commune, endowed the ''municipal showers'' which became the district court in 1985.

On 23 April 1977 Arpajon was on the path of the ''Tour cycliste de l'Essonne''. On 1 January 1968, after the breakup of Seine-et-Oise department, Arpajon was integrated into the new French department of Essonne and abandoned its former postal code - 78021. Arpajon was also the last stage town of the Tour de France in 1999 before a journey of 143 kilometres to Paris .

Heraldry

Politics and Administration

Local politics

Arpajon is the chief town of the canton represented by the general counsel Christian Béraud ( PS), mayor of the commune. It is attached to the third electoral district of Essonne and represented by MP Michel Pouzol (PS). Its current mayor is Christian Beraud (PS) who is assisted by eight deputy mayors chosen from a municipal council of 29 elected members. INSEE has assigned the code 91 3 01 021 41. Arpajon commune is recorded in the register of companies under the code SIREN 219 100 211. Its activity is registered under code APE 8411Z.

In 2009 the commune had a budget of €16,504,000 of which €11,359,000 was Operational and €5,145,000 investment, of which 34.85% is funded by local taxes. Municipal debt in the same year was €487,000. In 2009 the tax rate was 11.78% for the residential tax, 14.74% Developed Property tax, 46.78% for undeveloped property, and 15.09% for the business tax fixed by the inter-communality. The commune has a communal social welfare centre and, in 2017, had 942 HLM