We're less than 50 000 people in my town, 45 km from Paris, France.
The Seine runs through town, with a curve or a loop, creating an impression of void downtown.
The poor are apart, in high (French standards) buildings. A sad long enough bridge leads to that part of town. The mayor would like the population to stay where they are and keep them away from downtown. I went to school downtown 20 years ago. There were no black, no Arabs there ! From where I came (Nancy, a bigger town in the East, less than 150 kms from the German border I guess), it was shocking. Schools in the poor part, well, don't give much chances. Differents ethnies. Unemployment problems et al.
The mayor is Jean-François Copé, minister of budget in the government. He gave up his commitment as mayor to become full time minister, named his first counsellor Ange Anziani mayor & became first counsellor. As a result, they reexamined a few things together and decided that the first counsellor would earn as much as the mayor. Recently, while remaining a minister, Copé got his mayor seat back, and Anziani became first counsellor (with a high salary). More recently, Anziani got sacked from the first counsellor chair. Don't know who's the replacement, but he (or she) will earn less. Anziani got the boot cause he created an association to support Nicolas Sarkozy, minister of the interior. Sarkozy & Copé belong to the same political party, are members of the same government. Isn't it pretty?
Back to description :
Some trees in the center. One cinema, with 7 screens. One big theatre (600 seats - a play I wrote got played there). A smaller one (90 seats - where I spent 2 or 3 years). Lots of garages. No work, the young have to try to find a job at Disney (20 kms). A cathedral that ain't complete.
http://www.pitt.edu/~medart/image/fr...x/m0401mea.JPG
There's an armory across the cathedral by the way (same thing in Saint-Brieuc where I'd like to move). One protestant temple that I like better (surrounded by a school, a butcher, a baker).
Local specificities : cheese (I don't like cheese) and mustard (an excellent one, perfect for tomato salad).
Aerial view Google Earth : 48°57'26.32"N 2°57'10.31"E, to be looked at at 498 ft.