Saint-Laurent-du-Var (; Occitan: ''Sant Laurenç de Var'', Italian: ''San Lorenzo del Varo'') is a commune in the

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the

French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...

History

The town was founded in the 11th century when a hospice was founded under

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. "Laurel wreath, laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, perse ...

's protection. The main activity was to help passengers to cross the Var, which became a border between Kingdom of France and County of Nice in 1481.

Geography

St. Laurent is the second-largest

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

of the city of Nice, after

Cagnes-sur-Mer Cagnes-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cagnes on Sea''; oc, Canha de Mar) is a French Riviera town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography Cagnes-sur-Mer is a town in south-eastern ...

, in the urban community of Nice Côte d'Azur. It lies adjacent to it on the west side on the other side of the river Var. Nowadays, the town has developed much and its population has been multiplied by ten in the last century and it is now part of Nice metropolitan area. The suburb's positioning, close to Nice and with an abundance of flatlands - which is a rare resource in this region - led to the building of CAP 3000, the

Côte d'Azur The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...

's biggest mall, and an industrial zone with many dynamic activities. The beaches include a yacht club where you can learn how to sail. There are also many water activities including sail boarding and kiting. There is a natural bird and fish conservation area opposite the Holiday Inn. Along the promenade Flots Bleus and extending to the Port of Saint Laurent there are numerous restaurants and bars which attract many locals and tourists.

Demographics

Transportation

St. Laurent is located close to "Nice Côte d'Azur" Airport, in the eastern side of Var river, Nice. The town also has a harbor, an interchange on the motorway A8, and a railway station ( Saint-Laurent-du-Var station) on the Marseille-Toulon-Nice-Ventimiglia line.

Twin towns

Saint-Laurent-du-Var is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Landsberg am Lech ( Germany) * Siófok ( Hungary) * Waldheim ( Germany) * all the French towns named "Saint-Laurent" (95 in Metropolitan France) * Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni ( French Guiana)

References

External links

Official website of Saint-Laurent-du-Var

CAP 3000 website (in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saintlaurentduvar Communes of Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia