Épinay-sur-Orge (, literally ''Épinay on Orge'') is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.department in

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is situated near

Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Orly), commonly referred to as Orly , is one of two international airports serving the French capital, Paris, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly ...

some south of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

on the A6 motorway. Épinay is served by two stations on different branches of line C of the RER suburban railway system: Épinay-sur-Orge and Petit-Vaux.

Geography

The town is located on a plateau overlooking three rivers: *the

Rouillon Rouillon () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the Pays de la Loire region in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Sarthe department The following is a list of the 354 communes of the Sarthe department of France. The comm ...

flows from West to East along the North side of the town and into the

Yvette Yvette is female given name, the French feminine form of Yves, which means yew or archer in some cases. Name days *Czech Republic: ''7 June'' *Hungary: ''13 January'', ''6 May'' and ''29 June'' *Poland: ''13 January'' *Slovakia: ''27 May'' ...

; *the

flows from North to South past the East of the town and into the Orge at the point where the three communes of Épinay-sur-Orge,

Villemoisson-sur-Orge Villemoisson-sur-Orge (, literally ''Villemoisson on Orge'') is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. Population Inhabitants of Villemoisson-sur-Orge are known as ''Villemoissonnais'' in French. See also *C ...

, and Savigny-sur-Orge meet; *the Orge flows from West to East past the South of the town.

Climate

Épinay-sur-Orge has a

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Cfb''). The average annual temperature in Épinay-sur-Orge is . The average annual rainfall is with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Épinay-sur-Orge was on 12 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 17 January 1985.

History

The area of Épinay-sur-Orge was inhabited from

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The us ...

times. The town is first mentioned in a 9th-century document as Spinetum. Traces of habitations from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

have been found at Breuil (in the South) and Petit Vaux (West of the present-day centre). Slowly, such clusters of building grew towards one agricultural settlement. The town was created in 1793. In May 1843, the development of the town received a boost from becoming a stop on the Paris-Orléans railway, now the main RER station. In the Franco-Prussian War, the Prussians executed 4 resistance fighters in Épinay. A monument to them is in the town cemetery. On 23 August 1944, Épinay was liberated by the "group Warabiot" of the 2nd armoured division (the division Leclerc) on its way from

Argentan Argentan () is a commune and the seat of two cantons and of an arrondissement in the Orne department in northwestern France. Argentan is located NE of Rennes, ENE of the Mont Saint-Michel, SE of Cherbourg, SSE of Caen, SW of Rouen and N ...

to Paris. On 21 January 1945, the city decided to rename the rue de Montlhéry, henceforth known as the rue de la Division Leclerc.

Population

The inhabitants of Épinay are known as ''Spinoliens''.

Sights

Épinay-sur-Orge was long known for its system of market gardens, providing Parisians with fresh vegetables. The gardens were irrigated with a system of locks in the rivers. Only one of these remains. To the south-east of the town is the psychiatric hospital "Vaucluse". The building was the expatriate home of a rich Irishman who left it to the Départment of the Essonne in 1863 on the condition that it be turned into an "asylum for the mad". Reconstruction was finished in 1865. In 1869 the hospital opened with a capacity of around 1000 patients. At that time, the town had a population of 587. Patients built the tower on the grounds, as this was considered therapeutic. There is a long history of conflict between the hospital and the town over the high water level, caused by the river locks, which eroded the land of the hospital and flooded the patients' gardens. Another monument is the town hall, originally the palace of the Duchess Carafa de Noja. After her death in 1923, the town bought the building and surrounding park. This finally allowed the construction of a fresh water supply system (1923) and electrification (1925). The grand avenue leading towards the palace is still clearly recognizable, with cherry trees blooming in spring.