Aoste (French pronunciation: [aɔst]; Arpitan: Aoûta) is a commune in the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France.

Aoste
Centre of Aoste: The church and the Town Hall
Centre of Aoste: The church and the Town Hall
Location of Aoste
Map
Aoste is located in France
Aoste
Aoste
Aoste is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Aoste
Aoste
Coordinates: 45°35′20″N 5°36′32″E / 45.589°N 5.609°E / 45.589; 5.609
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentIsère
ArrondissementLa Tour-du-Pin
CantonChartreuse-Guiers
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Roger Marcel[1]
Area
1
9.82 km2 (3.79 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
2,869
 • Density290/km2 (760/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
38012 /38490
Elevation207–256 m (679–840 ft)
(avg. 226 m or 741 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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Aoste is located some 15 km east of La Tour-du-Pin and 8 km north-east of Les Abrets. Access is by the D1516 road from La Batie-Montgascon in the west passing through the village and continuing north-east to Champagneux. The D82F also runs off this road just west of the village and goes north-west to Corbelin. The D40 road from Les Avenieres in the north passes down the eastern side of the commune and continues to Romagnieu. The D592 branches off the D40 on the northern border and goes south to the village continuing to Chimilin in the south. Apart from the village there are also the hamlets of Saint-Didier in the north at the intersection of the D592 and the D40, and Les Champagnes in the east which is really an extension of the urban area of Saint-Genix-sur-Guiers across the border. The rest of the commune is entirely farmland except for the large industrial complex of Jambon d'Aoste north of the village.

The eastern border of the commune is formed by the Guiers river which flows north to join the Rhône which forms the north-eastern border of the commune. The Rhône is the border between Isère and Ain departments while the Guiers is the border between Isère and Savoie departments. The Bièvre river also flows through the west of the commune from the south forming the northern border before joining the Rhone. Numerous other small waterways join the Bièvre.[3]

Neighbouring communes and villages

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[3]

History

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Aoste was a vicus at a crossroad of Roman roads to Italy, to Germania, and to the Roman colonies of Lugdunum and Vienna. Its name appears on the Tabula Peutingeriana as Augustum.

In 2006 archaeological excavations unearthed a pottery workshop dating from the late Middle Ages.[4]

Administration

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List of Successive Mayors[5]

Mayors from the French Revolution to 1935
From To Name
1789 1790 Antoine Roche
1790 1792 Joseph Billiard
1792 1797 Joseph Comte
1797 1799 André Servoz
1799 1835 Pierre Pillion
1835 1844 Claude Meraud
1844 1848 Louis Chevalier
1848 1853 Guillaume-Alfred de Laforest-Divonne
1853 1855 Louis Chevalier
1855 1870 Guillaume-Alfred de Laforest-Divonne
1870 1876 Prosper Comte
1876 1878 Guillaume-Alfred de Laforest-Divonne
1878 1888 Louis Bovier-Lapierre
1888 1895 Charles Darragon
1895 1904 Augustin Blanc-Jolicoeur
1904 1935 Daniel Blanc-Jolicoeur
Mayors from 1935
From To Name
1935 1943 Joseph Guetat
1943 1944 Georges Masset
1944 1947 Pierre Fege
1947 1977 Daniel Joseph Blanc-Jolicoeur
1977 1983 Aimé Burtin
1983 1991 Jacques Perrod
1991 2002 Jean-Michel Ruynat
2002 2014 Raymond Bertrand
2014 2026 Roger Marcel

Demography

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The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aostiens or Aostiennes, alternatively Dutards or Dutardes in French.[6]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 1,393—    
1800 1,464+0.71%
1806 1,680+2.32%
1821 1,766+0.33%
1831 1,153−4.17%
1836 1,152−0.02%
1841 1,147−0.09%
1846 1,100−0.83%
1851 1,222+2.13%
1856 1,237+0.24%
1861 1,129−1.81%
1866 1,130+0.02%
1872 1,123−0.10%
1876 1,166+0.94%
1881 1,217+0.86%
1886 1,242+0.41%
1891 1,200−0.69%
1896 1,203+0.05%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 1,298+1.53%
1906 1,216−1.30%
1911 1,163−0.89%
1921 1,027−1.24%
1926 1,101+1.40%
1931 1,118+0.31%
1936 1,125+0.12%
1946 1,108−0.15%
1954 1,159+0.56%
1962 1,182+0.25%
1968 1,248+0.91%
1975 1,328+0.89%
1982 1,537+2.11%
1990 1,548+0.09%
1999 1,715+1.14%
2007 2,152+2.88%
2012 2,767+5.16%
2017 2,878+0.79%
Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE[8]

Economy

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Jambon Aoste

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The Aoste Ham Factory

The pork products produced in Isère department and especially the Jambon Aoste (Aoste Ham) are manufactured exclusively in this Groupe Aoste factory which was owned by the industrial group Sara Lee Corporation who ceased their activities in deli products and resold the operation to the American buyer Smithfield Foods through which it passed to the Chinese group Shuanghui in September 2013.

These industrial products with the "Jambon Aoste" label should not be confused with the official name "Vallée d'Aoste Jambon de Bosses" which is a ham produced in the Aosta Valley (An Italian/French Valley) and which has a protected designation of origin. The Ham products produced in Isère have a simple trademark and no Label Rouge, AOC or PDO regulates its production of cooked or raw ham, unlike the Italian Aosta ham which is a vintage handmade product made in very small quantities.[9]

Sites and Monuments

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Church of Saint-Didier
  • An Ancient Roman settlement with an oven and many relics and an archaeological museum.[10]
  • The School contains three items which are registered as historical objects:
  • The Chapel of Saint-Didier contains several items that are registered as historical objects:

Protected Natural Areas

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The commune has two natural zones of ecological interest, fauna and flora of type I:[18]

  • the alluvial areas of the Rhône du Pont de Groslée à Murs-et-Gélignieux
  • the Pools of Paluette

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Google Maps
  4. ^ Report on activity of Inrap in 2006 Archived 2012-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, p. 112 (in French)
  5. ^ "List of Mayors of France". Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  6. ^ Le nom des habitants du 38 - Isère Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine, habitants.fr
  7. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Aoste, EHESS (in French).
  8. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968 Archived 29 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine, INSEE
  9. ^ Jambon Aoste website Archived 12 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  10. ^ Museum website Archived July 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  11. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM38000007 Domestic Oratory (in French) 
  12. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM38000006 Altar (in French)
  13. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM38000005 2 Commemorative Plaques (in French) 
  14. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM38000612 Thurible (in French) 
  15. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM38000004 Processional Cross (in French)
  16. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM38000460 6 ex-voto Commemorative Plaques (in French)
  17. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM38000003 3 Funeral Plaques (in French)
  18. ^ Communal data portal Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Regional Directorate of the Environment, Planning, and Housing (in French)
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