Saint-Etienne and its region

 THE CITY


From the development of industry back in the XVIIIth century to the birth place of supermarket chain stores in France at the end of the XIXth century and the emergence of internationally renowned "poles of excellence" that characterize Saint-Etienne’s reputation today, the city has always had a strong business tradition cherished and upheld by big names, past and present, such as Thimonnier, Mimard or Guichard.

 TERRITORY


384.95 sq. Km
800 000 inhabitants
The Saint-Etienne Metropolitan Area is located at the converging point of three valleys, the Gier, the Ondaine and the Furan. The regional national park of Pilat marks the southern boundary.
To the north and west, lies the Forez plain and the extraordinary "Gorges de la Loire".
To the east, vast industrial areas lying at the foot of the "Monts du Lyonnais" lead into the Lyon Metropolitan Area and the major northern motorway.

 COMMUNICATION

Air links :

Saint-Etienne Loire Airport
Links with Paris and London,

Lyon St Exupéry Airport
Daily National and International flights

Rail links: SNCF

TGV (High Speed Train) Station:
Saint-Etienne - Paris : 2h50mins (2 trains per day)
Saint-Etienne - Lyon : 0h50mins (2 to 4 trains per hour)
Saint Etienne - Marseille : 2h45mins

Motorway links
A47motorway (Lyon, Paris) connected to the North-South European axis.

POPULATION

About 800 000 inhabitants in the Saint-Etienne Metropolitan Area, including 25% aged under 20. This ranks the city as the 14th conurbation of France and the 2nd in the Rhône-Alpes region.
Workers, with their strong industrial experience, represent 38.5% of the active population and provide a high-quality and stable workforce.

ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT

The Saint-Etienne Metropolitan Area accounts for 200 000 jobs and is home to
49 000 small to medium-sized firms.

The local economy is diversified into a multitude of sub-contracting firms with renowned expertise. These firms are concentrated around innovative « poles of excellence » which develop synergy and business in highly competitive markets such as:

> Mechanical Engineering
> Textiles
> Medical Research
> Tertiary Sector
> Logistics - Infrastructures
> International Development
> Environment
> Business and Tourism

The Saint-Etienne Metropolitan Area offers a diversified property market and is developing new sites adapted to the needs of companies.