Épinay-sur-Orge (, literally ''Épinay on

Orge The Orge () is a long river in France, left tributary of the Seine. Its source is in the village Saint-Martin-de-Bréthencourt. Its course crosses the '' départements'' of Yvelines and Essonne. It flows northwest through the towns of Dourdan, ...

'') is a commune in the

Essonne Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. 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 (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is situated near

Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (, ) is one of two international airports serving Paris, France, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris. It serves as a sec ...

some south of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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

Yvette Yvette (, ) is a feminine given name, the French feminine form of Yves (given name), Yves, which means Taxus, yew or archery, archer in some cases. Variations * Catalan language, Catalan: Ivet * Czech language, Czech: Yveta * Dutch language, ...

; *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 ...

, and

Savigny-sur-Orge Savigny-sur-Orge (, literally ''Savigny upon Orge'') is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 19.1 km (11.9 mi) from the center of Paris in the département In the administrative divisions of France, ...

meet; *the

flows from West to East past the South of the town.

Climate

Épinay-sur-Orge has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''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 called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

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 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

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 Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, 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. As of 2019, Argentan is the third largest municipality by population in the Orne department.

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 Department 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.