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Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel (French pronunciation: [vilje lə bɛl] ⓘ) is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, in the northern suburbs of Paris.[3] It is located 17.4 km (10.8 mi) from the center of Paris. History
A tragedy occurred in the town in the early evening of March 25, 1818, when a cracked 6,000 pound (2721 kg) bell being removed from a belfry came crashing down, killing approximately 25 onlookers. Workers who remained hanging from collapsed steeple were able to be rescued.[4][5][6][7] In the 1950s the commune had about 5,000 residents but it urbanized from 1950 to 1974. As of 2007 the commune had 26,000 people.[8] In 2007 the mayor at the time, François Pupponi, stated that the city became a "social ghetto" suffered from planning errors made in the 1950s, as the community did not gain the businesses necessary to support the population.[8] Jean-Louis Marsac, the first deputy mayor, stated that the commune grew without gaining the proper infrastructure.[8] 2007 riotsOn the night of 25 November 2007, gangs attacked a police station in Villiers-le-Bel, torched cars, and vandalized stores. The violence was prompted by the deaths of two adolescents after a crash between their motorbike and a police patrol car at an intersection. The disturbances spread to neighbouring towns on the night of 26 November. 82 police officers were injured, four of them seriously, by shotgun blasts.[9][10] TransportThe Paris Métro, RER, serves through the Villiers-le-Bel - Gonesse - Arnouville station on Paris RER line D. However, this station is located in the neighboring commune of Arnouville-lès-Gonesse, 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from the town center of Villiers-le-Bel. PopulationAs of 2017[update] 47% of the commune's population was under the age of 30.[11]
EconomyAs of 2007[update] Charles de Gaulle International Airport is the primary employer of the area. Within Villiers-le-Bel itself the largest employers were the Charles-Richet Hospital, the Flopak conditioning company, Gilson medical material company, and public services.[8] EducationThe commune has 30 educational institutions, including 11 preschools and 11 elementary schools along with four junior high schools and a vocational high school.[13] As of 2007[update] the commune does not have its own general high school/sixth-form college.[8]
Two nearby senior high schools are in Sarcelles, Lycée la tourelle and Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau.[13] Students attending general high school studies go to J. J. Rousseau.[8] Area universities:[14] Neighboring communesPersonalities
See alsoReferences
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Villiers-le-Bel.
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