Gargenville () 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

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.department in the

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 ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in north-central

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, 45 km to the center of Paris. It is part of the Parc naturel régional du Vexin français. With the neighborhing commune of

Issou Issou () is a commune in the Yvelines department, administrative region of Île-de-France, France. See also *Communes of the Yvelines department An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a hig ...

, it forms an urban area of around 10000 inhabitants. Inhabitants are known in French as the ''Gargenvillois''.

History

The name Gargenville is referenced as ''Gargen villam''Les Amis du Vexin Français in 1164, ''Gargenvilla'' in 1249,Hippolyte Cocheris, ''Anciens noms des communes de Seine-et-Oise'', 1874, online a
Corpus Etampois
''Girgenville'' in 1265, Victor R. Belot, Coutumes et folklores en Yvelines, Préface de Paul-Louis Tenaillon, président du Conseil général des Yvelines de 1977 à 1994, membre émérite de l' Académie des sciences morales, des lettres et des arts de Versailles, Librairie Guénégaud, 1977 (FRBNF 34588328), Page 239 Gargenville in 1429. It comes from the gallic name Garganus and the gallo-romain suffix VILLA, "rural domain" (

villa rustica Villa rustica () was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a farmhouse or villa set in the countryside and with an agricultural section, which applies to the vast majority of Roman villas. In some cases they were at the centre of a large ...

in Latin). Before the French Revolution, Gargenville was made of two

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

s, the domaine d'Hanneucourt and the Moufle de la Tuilerie. In 1790, they were merged to form the new commune, which then had 990 inhabitants.

Population

Economy

The "Aciérie et Laminoir de Paris", now Alpa Riva electric steelworks, and various industries, including industrial waste treatment centers and quarries.

Transportation

Public transportation is provided by

Transilien Transilien () is the brand name given to the commuter rail network serving Île-de-France, the region surrounding and including the city of Paris. The network consists of eight lines: H, J, K, L, N, U, P and R, each operated by SNCF, th ...

on the

Paris Saint Lazare The Gare Saint-Lazare (English: St Lazarus station), officially Paris-Saint-Lazare, is one of the six large mainline List of Paris railway stations, railway station termini in Paris, France. It serves train services toward Normandy, northwest of ...

to Mantes Station via

Conflans-Sainte-Honorine Conflans-Sainte-Honorine () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris. The commune was originally named for its ge ...

line.

Geography

Neighbouring communes

On the edge of the Seine, the territory is highly urbanized, in which residential areas and industries alternate. It forms an almost continuous agglomeration from Follainville-Dennemont in the west to

Juziers Juziers () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Population Twinnings * East Hoathly with Halland, England since 1995. See also *Communes of the Yvelines department An intentional ...

in the east, and which continues beyond towards

Meulan Meulan-en-Yvelines (; formerly just ''Meulan'') is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It hosted part of the sailing events for the 1900 Summer Olympics held in neighboring Paris, and would ...

and

Poissy Poissy () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Pisciacais'' in French. Poissy is one ...

. There are major communication routes: D191 departmental road, Paris-Mantes railway line on the north bank of the Seine, private or public port facilities, including the river-sea port of Limay-Porcheville which depends on the

Autonomous Port of Paris The Autonomous Port of Paris (French: "Port autonome de Paris") is a public institution of the France set up in 1970. Its mission is to develop waterway traffic and port activity by creating, maintaining and handling the commercial operation of 7 ...

. This is where the industrial zones are located, notably with the Gargenville-Juziers cement plant, the Issou-Gargenville oil depot (ex-refinery), and the

Porcheville Porcheville () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. See also *Communes of the Yvelines department An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to ...

thermal power plant. The northern part of the canton, entirely included in the regional natural park, very wooded, more sparsely populated, is dedicated to traditional agriculture and forestry, crafts and tourism.

References

Communes of Yvelines {{Yvelines-geo-stub