Isère


Isère is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France named after the river Isère.

History

Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the main part of the former province of Dauphiné. Its area has been reduced twice, in 1852 and again in 1967, on both occasions losing territory to the department of Rhône.
In 1852 in response to rapid urban development around the edge of Lyon, the communes of Bron, Vaulx-en-Velin, Vénissieux and Villeurbanne were transferred to Rhône. In 1967 the redrawing of local government borders led to the creation of the Urban Community of Lyon. At that time intercommunal groupings of this nature were not permitted to straddle departmental frontiers, and accordingly 23 more Isère communes found themselves transferred to Rhône. The affected Isère communes were Chaponnay, Chassieu, Communay, Corbas, Décines-Charpieu, Feyzin, Genas, Jonage, Jons, Marennes, Meyzieu, Mions, Pusignan, Saint-Bonnet-de-Mure, Saint-Laurent-de-Mure, Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu, Saint-Priest, Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon, Sérézin-du-Rhône, Simandres, Solaize, Ternay and Toussieu.
Most recently, on 1 April 1971, Colombier-Saugnieu was lost to Rhône. Banners appeared in the commune's three little villages at the time proclaiming "Dauphinois toujours"
Isère was also the name of the French ship which delivered the 214 boxes holding the Statue of Liberty.

Geography

Isère is part of the current region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and is surrounded by the departments of Rhône, Ain, Savoie, Hautes-Alpes, Drôme, Ardèche, and Loire.
Isère includes a part of the French Alps. The highest point in the department is the Sub-Peak "Pic Lory" at 4,088 metres, subsidiary to the 4102 metres Barre des Écrins in the adjoining Hautes-Alpes department. The summit of La Meije at 3,988 metres is also well known. The Vercors Plateau aesthetically dominates the western area of the department.

Demographics

Inhabitants of the department are called Isérois.
Population development since 1801:

Politics

The President of the General Council is Jean-Pierre Barbier of The Republicans.

Current National Assembly representatives

Culture

The Grande Chartreuse is the mother abbey of the Carthusian order. It is located 14 miles north of Grenoble.
As early as the 13th century, residents of the north and central parts of Isère spoke a dialect of the Franco-Provençal language called Dauphinois, while those in the Southern parts spoke the Vivaro-Alpine dialect of Occitan. Both continued to be spoken in rural areas of Isère into the 20th century.

Tourism

Isère features many ski resorts, including the Alpe d'Huez, Les Deux Alpes, the 1968 Winter Olympics resorts of Chamrousse, Villard de Lans, Autrans. Other popular resorts include Les 7 Laux, Le Collet d'Allevard, Méaudre, Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse, Alpe du Grand Serre, Gresse-en-Vercors.
Grenoble has a dozen museums, including the most famous created in Grenoble in 1798, the Museum of Grenoble.
It is the third largest ski and winter destination of France, after Savoie and Haute-Savoie, and before Hautes-Alpes. It also hosts Coupe Icare, an annual festival of free flight, such as paragliding and hang-gliding, held at the world-renowned paragliding site at Lumbin.