Montélimar (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃telimaʁ] ; Vivaro-Alpine: Montelaimar pronounced [muntelajˈma]; Latin: Acumum) is a town in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It is the second-largest town in the department after Valence. In 2018, the commune had a population of 39,415; its urban area had a population of 57,372.[3]

Montélimar
Montelaimar (Occitan)
Montélimar City Hall
Montélimar City Hall
Coat of arms of Montélimar
Location of Montélimar
Map
Montélimar is located in France
Montélimar
Montélimar
Montélimar is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Montélimar
Montélimar
Coordinates: 44°33′29″N 4°45′03″E / 44.5581°N 4.7508°E / 44.5581; 4.7508
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentDrôme
ArrondissementNyons
CantonMontélimar-1 and 2
IntercommunalityMontélimar Agglomération
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Julien Cornillet[1]
Area
1
46.81 km2 (18.07 sq mi)
 • Urban
132.3 km2 (51.1 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
40,399
 • Density860/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
 • Urban
 (2018)
57,372
 • Urban density430/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
26198 /26200
Elevation56–213 m (184–699 ft)
(avg. 81 m or 266 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

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The site where the city of Montélimar stands today has been inhabited since the Celtic era. It was reconstructed during the Roman reign, including a basilica, aqueducts, thermae and a forum. The Adhémar family reigned over the city in the Middle Ages and built a castle (Château des Adhémar) which dominates the city silhouette even today.

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 6,240—    
1800 6,320+0.18%
1806 5,864−1.24%
1821 7,161+1.34%
1831 7,560+0.54%
1836 7,966+1.05%
1841 8,245+0.69%
1846 9,445+2.75%
1851 9,362−0.18%
1856 11,523+4.24%
1861 12,044+0.89%
1866 11,100−1.62%
1872 11,122+0.03%
1876 11,946+1.80%
1881 12,894+1.54%
1886 14,014+1.68%
1891 13,764−0.36%
1896 13,741−0.03%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 13,351−0.57%
1906 13,554+0.30%
1911 13,281−0.41%
1921 11,716−1.25%
1926 11,210−0.88%
1931 13,696+4.09%
1936 15,187+2.09%
1946 15,972+0.51%
1954 16,639+0.51%
1962 19,999+2.33%
1968 26,748+4.97%
1975 28,058+0.69%
1982 29,161+0.55%
1990 29,982+0.35%
1999 31,344+0.49%
2007 34,636+1.26%
2012 35,704+0.61%
2017 39,097+1.83%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

Personalities

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Economy

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The local nougat is one of the 13 desserts of Provence and highly appreciated throughout the country. Montelimar nougat is mentioned in the opening lines of the Beatles' "Savoy Truffle" from The White Album. Travellers used to buy nougat de Montélimar on their way to the south of France (or when returning) as the city is next to the Rhône and to the primary route N7. Since the construction of the A7 autoroute, many nougat factories have been forced to close as tourists no longer stop in Montélimar but bypass it instead.

Climate

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Montélimar has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification.

Climate data for Montélimar (1981–2010 averages)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 19.3
(66.7)
22.4
(72.3)
26.4
(79.5)
30.6
(87.1)
33.9
(93.0)
38.1
(100.6)
40.0
(104.0)
41.1
(106.0)
36.2
(97.2)
30.4
(86.7)
26.4
(79.5)
19.9
(67.8)
41.1
(106.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.2
(46.8)
10.2
(50.4)
14.5
(58.1)
17.5
(63.5)
22.1
(71.8)
26.2
(79.2)
29.6
(85.3)
29.1
(84.4)
24.2
(75.6)
18.7
(65.7)
12.4
(54.3)
8.6
(47.5)
18.5
(65.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.9
(35.4)
2.5
(36.5)
4.9
(40.8)
7.3
(45.1)
11.1
(52.0)
14.7
(58.5)
17.3
(63.1)
17.0
(62.6)
13.7
(56.7)
10.4
(50.7)
5.8
(42.4)
3.0
(37.4)
9.2
(48.6)
Record low °C (°F) −14.4
(6.1)
−17.0
(1.4)
−7.4
(18.7)
−3.1
(26.4)
−1.8
(28.8)
3.5
(38.3)
7.5
(45.5)
5.6
(42.1)
0.5
(32.9)
−1.6
(29.1)
−10.0
(14.0)
−17.2
(1.0)
−17.2
(1.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 64.0
(2.52)
45.2
(1.78)
47.1
(1.85)
81.3
(3.20)
83.1
(3.27)
55.2
(2.17)
48.7
(1.92)
57.7
(2.27)
116.2
(4.57)
135.8
(5.35)
100.5
(3.96)
70.5
(2.78)
905.3
(35.64)
Average precipitation days 6.6 5.4 5.6 7.9 7.8 5.4 4.2 4.9 6.4 8.8 7.3 7.2 77.4
Average snowy days 2.3 2.1 0.9 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 2.4 8.6
Average relative humidity (%) 80 76 70 68 70 67 62 65 72 80 81 81 72.7
Mean monthly sunshine hours 104.9 134.5 200.0 214.6 255.3 295.5 327.3 293.6 224.5 152.3 110.3 92.1 2,404.8
Source 1: Météo France[6][7]
Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days, 1961–1990)[8]

International relations

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Montélimar is twinned with:[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Comparateur de territoire: Unité urbaine 2020 de Montélimar (00553), INSEE
  4. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Montélimar, EHESS (in French).
  5. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  6. ^ "Données climatiques de la station de Montélimar" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  7. ^ "Climat Rhône-Alpes" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  8. ^ "Normes et records 1961-1990: Montélimar - Ancone (26) - altitude 73m" (in French). Infoclimat. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  9. ^ "Jumelage". montelimar.fr (in French). Montélimar. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
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