Echallon
| Echallon | ||
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Ain | |
| Arrondissement | Nantua | |
| Canton | Nantua | |
| Community association | Haut-Bugey agglomeration | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 13 ' N , 5 ° 44' E | |
| height | 510-1,082 m | |
| surface | 28.09 km 2 | |
| Residents | 757 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 27 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 01130 | |
| INSEE code | 01152 | |
| Website | www.echallon.fr | |
 Memorial to the Maquis in Échallon |
||
Échallon is a French municipality with 757 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Ain in the region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . It belongs to the canton of Nantua in the Arrondissement of Nantua .
geography
Échallon is located at 750 m , about eight kilometers southeast of the city of Oyonnax and 39 kilometers east of the prefecture of Bourg-en-Bresse (as the crow flies). The former farming village extends in the Haut- Bugey , in the Jura , on a ridge that slopes southwards west of the valley of the Semine , on the edge of the high plateau of Échallon.
The area of the 28.09 km² large municipality covers a section of the southern French Jura. The central part is occupied by the plateau of Échallon, which has a width of two kilometers and a length of five kilometers and slopes slightly to the south. Much of the plateau is used as pastureland, in the north are the forests of Bois de la Montagne Brûlée and Forêt de Belleydoux . To the west, a gently rising slope leads to the wooded ridge of the Forêt d'Échallon , on which the highest elevation of Échallon is reached at 1082 m . In the far west, the community area extends into the valley of Lac Genin with its surrounding moorland. The eastern boundary of the high plateau is the deeply cut valley of the Semine (right tributary of the Valserine ). The valley slope below Giron to the east is also part of the municipality.
The scattered settlement Échallon consists of different settlement centers, hamlets and farm groups, including:
- Prapont ( 520 m ) at the Semine
- Le Sermet ( 540 m ) in the valley of the Semine
- Caquet ( 720 m ) on the ledge on the edge of the Échallon plateau
- Miribel ( 750 m ) on the ledge on the edge of the Échallon plateau
- La Pallud ( 740 m ) above a side valley of the Semine
- Le Crêt ( 825 m ) on the Échallon plateau
- Sous la Flua ( 815 m ) on the Échallon plateau
- La Côte Druet ( 700 m ) on the western slope of the Semine
- Le Favillon ( 825 m ) on the Échallon plateau
- Le Crétet ( 850 m ) on the Échallon plateau
Neighboring municipalities of Échallon are Arbent and Belleydoux in the north, Giron in the east, Saint-Germain-de-Joux and Plagne in the south and Charix and Oyonnax in the west.
history
Échallon appears for the first time in the documents as early as the 9th century. Over time, the spelling changed via Escalone (1158), Eschalone (1299) and Eschalon to today's Échallon. The place name is derived from the old French word escalon (ladder, step-shaped staircase). In the 13th century the place was plundered and devastated at the instigation of the Lords of Thoire-Villars. Since the Middle Ages Échallon was under the suzerainty of the counts of Savoy . With the Treaty of Lyon , the place came to France in 1601.
Attractions
The village church was built in 1865 by Pierre Bossan in the classicism style. The natural sights include the Lac Genin and its surroundings, which are a popular recreational destination.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 427 |
| 1968 | 410 |
| 1975 | 423 |
| 1982 | 462 |
| 1990 | 550 |
| 1999 | 663 |
| 2006 | 760 |
| 2016 | 760 |
With 757 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) Échallon is one of the small communities in the Ain department. After the population had decreased in the first half of the 20th century (in 1886 there were still 1057 people counted), the population has increased again since the beginning of the 1970s. The local residents of Échallon are called Echallonnais (es) in French .
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Échallon was primarily a village characterized by agriculture , especially cattle and dairy farming, and forestry. The water power of the Semine was used by various mills. In addition, there are now some local small businesses. In the meantime the village has also developed into a residential community. Many workers are commuters who work in the larger towns in the area.
The village is located away from the major thoroughfares on a departmental road that leads from Oyonnax to Saint-Germain-de-Joux. There are other road connections with Saint-Claude , Apremont and Plagne. The closest connection to the A40 motorway is around 15 kilometers away.
In Échallon there is a state école primaire (elementary school with an integrated preschool ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ French Statistics Institute ( www.insee.fr )
- ↑ Échallon - notice communal. In: cassini.ehess.fr. Retrieved on June 14, 2015 (French, INSEE population from 1968 ).