Bellegarde-sur-Valserine

Bellegarde-sur-Valserine (French pronunciation: [bɛlɡaʁd syʁ valsəʁin], literally Bellegarde on Valserine; Arpitan: Bèlagouârda) is a former commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune of Valserhône.[2]

Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Bèlagouârda (Arpitan)
Part of Valserhône
Former Bellegarde-sur-Valserine Town Hall and current Valserhône Town Hall
Former Bellegarde-sur-Valserine Town Hall and current Valserhône Town Hall
Coat of arms of Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Location of Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Map
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is located in France
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Coordinates: 46°06′30″N 5°49′36″E / 46.1083°N 5.8267°E / 46.1083; 5.8267
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentAin
ArrondissementNantua
CantonBellegarde-sur-Valserine
CommuneValserhône
Area
1
15 km2 (6 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[1]
11,268
 • Density750/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code
01200
Elevation330–1,542 m (1,083–5,059 ft)
(avg. 485 m or 1,591 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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Bellegarde is located at the confluence of the Valserine and the Rhône.

At this spot, the water of the two rivers runs underground; it was possible to cross both of them easily. Since the inception of the Génissiat Dam at Injoux-Génissiat, the level of the Rhône was raised several metres and the Perte du Rhône submerged. A smaller, similar feature, the Pertes de la Valserine, on the former border with Lancrans, is still visible.

Bellegarde lies in a valley dominated by the Plateau of Retord on the west and the massif of the Grand Crêt d'Eau and the Vuache on the east. The passage created by the Rhône is the principal access to the area around Gex and the north of Lake Geneva. Since 1 January 2019, Bellegarde belongs to a new commune, with Lancrans and Châtillon-en-Michaille, named Valserhône.

Climate

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Bellegarde is under the influence of both an oceanic climate (notable precipitations in quantity and frequency) and a warm-summer humid continental climate (cold winters and warm to hot summers).

Climate data for Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, Valserhône, Ain, France, Alt. : 350 m, (1981-2010 averages, extremes 1994−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.5
(61.7)
20.2
(68.4)
25.4
(77.7)
29.6
(85.3)
33.8
(92.8)
36.5
(97.7)
38.6
(101.5)
39.5
(103.1)
32.7
(90.9)
28.0
(82.4)
22.9
(73.2)
16.4
(61.5)
39.5
(103.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 5.6
(42.1)
8.3
(46.9)
12.5
(54.5)
16.3
(61.3)
21.0
(69.8)
24.9
(76.8)
27.1
(80.8)
26.3
(79.3)
21.6
(70.9)
17.0
(62.6)
10.1
(50.2)
5.7
(42.3)
16.4
(61.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.8
(35.2)
3.5
(38.3)
6.7
(44.1)
10.2
(50.4)
14.8
(58.6)
18.2
(64.8)
20.2
(68.4)
19.6
(67.3)
15.5
(59.9)
11.8
(53.2)
6.0
(42.8)
2.3
(36.1)
10.9
(51.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1.9
(28.6)
−1.4
(29.5)
0.9
(33.6)
4.0
(39.2)
8.5
(47.3)
11.5
(52.7)
13.3
(55.9)
13.0
(55.4)
9.5
(49.1)
6.6
(43.9)
1.9
(35.4)
−1.2
(29.8)
5.4
(41.7)
Record low °C (°F) −15.4
(4.3)
−17.0
(1.4)
−13.7
(7.3)
−5.4
(22.3)
−1.4
(29.5)
2.3
(36.1)
5.3
(41.5)
4.7
(40.5)
0.1
(32.2)
−5.5
(22.1)
−10.3
(13.5)
−16.1
(3.0)
−17.0
(1.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 109.5
(4.31)
96.6
(3.80)
91.9
(3.62)
87.2
(3.43)
94.0
(3.70)
74.3
(2.93)
85.7
(3.37)
100.2
(3.94)
100.6
(3.96)
106.0
(4.17)
121.2
(4.77)
118.2
(4.65)
1,185.4
(46.67)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 10.7 9.4 9.9 10.0 11.6 9.0 8.9 9.6 8.9 10.5 11.4 10.8 120.7
Source: Meteociel[3]

Transport

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Bellegarde station has rail connections to Paris, Lyon, Annemasse, Geneva, Chambéry and several regional destinations. It lies on the Lyon–Geneva railway.

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
200611,497—    
201111,630+0.23%
201511,809+0.38%
202111,268−0.78%
Source: INSEE[4][5][1]

Twin towns — sister cities

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Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is twinned with:

References

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  1. ^ a b "Populations légales 2021" [Legal populations 2021] (PDF) (in French). INSEE. December 2023.
  2. ^ Arrêté préfectoral, 22 October 2018 (in French)
  3. ^ "Normales et records pour Bellegarde (01)". Meteociel. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  4. ^ Populations légales 2011, INSEE
  5. ^ Populations légales 2015, INSEE