Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the southeastern French region of

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

. Named after the river

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.Populations légales 2019: 38 Isère
INSEE Its

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

is Grenoble. It borders Rhône to the northwest,

Ain Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...

to the north, Savoie to the east, Hautes-Alpes to the south, Drôme and

Ardèche Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Loire to the west.

History

Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was established from the main part of the former province of Dauphiné. Its area was reduced twice, in 1852 and again in 1967, on both occasions losing territory to the department of Rhône. Château de Vizille détail face

In 1852 in response to rapid urban development around the edge of Lyon, the (hitherto Isère) communes of

Bron Bron () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, eastern France. Geography Bron lies east-southeast of central Lyon. It is the sixth-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is adjacent to its east side. Climat ...

Vaulx-en-Velin Vaulx-en-Velin () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is located to its northeast, on the river Rhône. History The rivers, including th ...

, 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 The Urban Community of Lyon (french: Urban communities in France, Communauté urbaine de Lyon), also known as Grand Lyon (i.e. "Greater Lyon") or by its former acronym COURLY, is the former intercommunality, intercommunal structure gathering the ci ...

(more recently known simply as Greater Lyon or Grand Lyon). At that time intercommunal groupings of this nature were not permitted to straddle departmental frontiers, and accordingly 23 more Isère communes (along with six communes from

) found themselves transferred to Rhône. The affected Isère communes were Chaponnay,

Chassieu Chassieu (; frp, Chassiô) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Population Twin town Chassieu has been twinned with Coleshill, England, near Birmingham since 1983. See also * Eurexpo ...

Communay Communay () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It is around 15 km south of the centre of Lyon. See also *Communes of the Rhône department The following is a list of the 208 communes of the Rhône department of Fra ...

Corbas Corbas (; frp, Corbê) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Demographics Twin towns Corbas is twinned with: * Corbetta, Lombardy Corbetta ( lmo, Corbetta , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in th ...

, Décines-Charpieu,

Feyzin Feyzin () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas region ...

Genas Genas () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.Commune de Genas (69277 ...

Jonage Jonage () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Metropolis of Lyon The following is a list of the 59 communes of the Lyon Metropolis, France ...

, Jons, Marennes,

Meyzieu Meyzieu (; frp, Mêsiô) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is a large suburb of Lyon, situated 13 km east of the city centre on the left bank of the Rhône. Before 1967, it was part of t ...

Mions Mions () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. The residents of the city are called ''Miolands'' and ''Miolandes''. Population See also *Communes of the Metropolis of Lyon The following is ...

, Pusignan,

Saint-Bonnet-de-Mure Saint-Bonnet-de-Mure ( frp, Sant-Bônèt-de-Mures) is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Rhône department The following is a list of the 208 communes of the Rhône department of Franc ...

, Saint-Laurent-de-Mure,

Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. See also *Communes of the Rhône department The following is a list of the 208 communes of the Rhône department of France. This list does not includes the L ...

, Saint-Priest,

Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon () is a commune in the Rhône department, within the urban area of Lyon, in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Rhône department The following is a list of the 208 communes of the Rhône department ...

Sérézin-du-Rhône Sérézin-du-Rhône () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Rhône department The following is a list of the 208 communes of the Rhône department of France. This list does not inclu ...

Simandres Simandres () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. See also *Communes of the Rhône department The following is a list of the 208 communes of the Rhône department of France. This list does not includes the Lyon Metropolis ...

Solaize Solaize (; frp, Celuése) is a Communes of France, commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in eastern France. See also *Communes of the Metropolis of Lyon References

Communes of Lyon Metro ...

, Ternay and

Toussieu Toussieu () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. Since 2001, Paul Vidal has been the mayor of Toussieu. He was re-elected in the 2020 municipal elections.

. Most recently, on 1 April 1971, Colombier-Saugnieu was transferred to Rhône. Banners appeared in the commune's three little villages at the time proclaiming '' Dauphinois toujours'' ("Always Dauphinois"). ''Isère'' was also the name of the French ship which delivered the 214 boxes containing the components of the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

Geography

Isère includes a part of the French Alps. The highest point in the department is the subpeak Pic Lory at 4,088 metres (13,412 ft), subsidiary to the 4,102 metres (13,458 ft)

Barre des Écrins The Barre des Écrins () is a mountain in the French Alps with a peak elevation of . It is the highest peak of the Massif des Écrins and the Dauphiné Alps and the most southerly alpine peak in Europe that is higher than 4,000 metres. It is the ...

in the adjoining Hautes-Alpes department. The summit of

La Meije La Meije is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins range, located at the border of the Hautes-Alpes and Isère ''départements''. It overlooks the nearby village of La Grave, a mountaineering centre and ski resort, well known for its off-piste ...

at 3,988 metres (13,083 ft) is also well known. The Vercors Plateau aesthetically dominates the western part of the department.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Grenoble, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:

Demographics

Inhabitants of the department are called ''Isérois'' (masculine) and ''Iséroises'' (feminine). Population development since 1801:

Politics

Departmental politics

The President of the Departmental Council has been Jean-Pierre Barbier of The Republicans (LR) since 2015. Following the 2021 departmental election, the Departmental Council of Isère (58 seats) was composed as follows:

Representation in Paris

National Assembly

In the 2017 legislative election, Isère elected the following representatives to the National Assembly:

Senate

In the 2017 Senate election, Isère elected

Didier Rambaud __NOTOC__ Didier is a French masculine given name and surname common throughout the Romance languages The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vu ...

(

La République En Marche! Renaissance (RE), previously known as La République En Marche ! (frequently abbreviated LREM, LaREM or REM; translated as "The Republic on the Move" or "Republic Forward"), or sometimes called simply En Marche ! () as its original name, is a l ...

Guillaume Gontard Guillaume Gontard (born 11 March 1971) is a French politician who is president of the Ecologist group in the French Senate. Political career Guillaume Gontard was born on March 11, 1971 in Tours (Indre-et-Loire). His family moved to the vill ...

( miscellaneous left),

Frédérique Puissat Frederique is a French female given name, which is equivalent to the male name Frederick, meaning "peaceful ruler". Alternative spellings include Frédérique and Frederieke. The name Frederique may refer to: People *Frédérique Apffel-Marglin (b ...

( The Republicans),

Michel Savin Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...

( The Republicans) and

André Vallini André Vallini (born 15 July 1956) is a French politician. He is the grandson of Italian immigrants and the son of a small industrialist from Tullins. He was President of the general council for Isère from 2011 to 2014 and member of the Fre ...

( Socialist Party) for the 2017–2023 term.

Culture

The

Grande Chartreuse Grande Chartreuse () is the head monastery of the Carthusian religious order. It is located in the Chartreuse Mountains, north of the city of Grenoble, in the commune of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse (Isère), France. History Originally, the ch ...

is the mother abbey of the Carthusian order. It is located 22 km (14 mi) 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 Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

. 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 L'Alpe d'Huez () is a ski resort in southeastern France at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Western Alps, in the commune of Huez, which is part of the department of Isère in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is part of th ...

, Les Deux Alpes, the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

resorts of Chamrousse,

Villard de Lans Villard-de-Lans (; oc, Lo Vilar de Lanç) is a commune in the Isère department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. The town is also situated in the Vercors Massif. It was the administrative centre of the eponymous can ...

, Autrans. Other popular resorts include Les 7 Laux, Méaudre, Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse,

Alpe du Grand Serre Alpe du Grand Serre is a ski resort located in the French Dauphine Alps in Isère ''département'', upon the commune of La Morte, sitting at 1368m. The village itself is located at the summit of a mountain pass''See'site de la ''société d'aména ...

and

Gresse-en-Vercors Gresse-en-Vercors is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population Twin towns Gresse-en-Vercors is twinned with: * Calvanico, Italy, since 2003 See also * Communes of the Isère department *Parc naturel régiona ...

. At the department level, Isère is the third-largest ski and winter destination in France, after Savoie and Haute-Savoie. 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. Grenoble has a dozen museums, including its most famous, established in 1798, the Museum of Grenoble. The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), an international research facility in Grenoble, is also open to visitors. Fontaine trois ordres - Grenoble.JPG, Grenoble Vercors 001.jpg, The

Grand Veymont Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commun ...

Dent de Crolles.jpg, The Dent de Crolles Lac du Curtillard et montagne de l'Arpette (août 2020).JPG, Le Haut-Bréda Tour Du Queyras 03.jpg, Queyras Valley Lac de Monteynard 3.jpg,

Lac de Monteynard-Avignonet The Lac de Monteynard-Avignonet (Lake of Monteynard-Avignonet) is an artificial water reservoir for the Électricité de France (EDF) power station on the river Drac. It belongs to the department of Isère. It is bounded by the canyons of the Drac ...

La Ruchère en Chartreuse.JPG,

Saint-Christophe-sur-Guiers Saint-Christophe-sur-Guiers (, literally ''Saint-Christophe on Guiers'') is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. La Ruchère La Ruchère, rural district, mainly famous for cross country skiing slopes, was attached to Saint- ...

References

External links

Prefecture website

Departmental Council website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isere 1790 establishments in France Departments of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia States and territories established in 1790