Le palmarès des villes jeunes. The Top Towns for Uni Students.

In France it's part of everyday life to leave home to go to uni. But which town is the one to pick? What characteristics make a town appealing to under 25s? Below are the results from a survey undertaken with thousands of French students. The aim? To find out which is the ideal town in which to match study and a great student lifestyle! It just depends on what your priorities are!

En France, c’est normal de partir du foyer familial pour aller à fac.  Mais, quelle ville faut-il choisir ?  Quelles sont les caractéristiques qui font une ville accueillante pour les moins de 25 ans ?  Voici les résultats d’un sondage pris des milliers d’étudiants partout en France.  Le but de sondage ?  Retrouver la ville idéale pour intégrer ses études et le style de vie d’un(e) étudiant (e)!

	Sortir à Bordeaux.  Go out in Bordeau
The party town! Bordeau has a great reputation for a good party among its night clubs and concert rooms. There's a night bus that runs up to 2 am!	La ville fêtarde ! elle a une solide réputation de fêtarde entre bars de nuits et salles de concerts.  Il y a un bus de nuit qui circule jusqu'à 2h du matin.
	Étudier à Montpellier Study in Montpellier
A centre for excellence....60 000 students and a reputation of academic excellence especially in the areas of science. It's the dream town for serious study.	Un pole d’excellence…60 mille étudiants et une réputation d’excellence surtout dans les filières scientifique.  C’est « la » ville rêvée des études.
	Se cultiver à Paris. Become "cultivated" in Paris
You can't beat Paris, the capital takes out the first place for culture: art and research centres, festivals, studios, it's a total overdose of culture.	Impossible à rivaliser…la capitale remporte la première place du classement culturel ;  salles d’art et essai ;  festivals, studios ;  c’est un overdose de la culture!
	Dépenser ses sous à Limoges.  Spend your money in Limoges.
Pleasant and inexpensive! This town, well known for its peacefulness was voted "the least expensive town in France" as regards the costs of public transport, pizzas, a glass of beer, a short black and lodgings!	Sympa et pas chère ! La ville réputée pour sa tranquillité sort du sondage avec le titre de « la ville la moins chère de France ! » en ce qui concerne les prix des transports, de la pizza, le demi, le petit noir et le logement !
	Faire du sport à Lyon. Be sporty in Lyons.
Everything to keep fit! the mountains nearby, winter sports, lakes, swimming pools, hang gliding, climbing.....and for those who are broke, Lyons is the ideal town for doing sport for free!	Tout pour la forme !  la montagne toute proche, les sports d’hiver, les lacs, les piscines, le deltaplane, l’escalade…et pour les fauchés, Lyon est la ville idéale pour faire du sport gratuitement !
	Respirer à St Rochelle.  Breathe fresh air in St Rochelle.
The sea, the uni near a beach of fine sand, lots of sun, a town with 150km of cycle paths, multiple pedestrian streets... ideal surroundings for those who are sensitive about the environment.	L’océan, une fac au bord d’une plage de sable fin, beaucoup de soleil, une ville avec 150km de pistes cyclables, une multiplication de rues piétonnes…un environnement idéal pour ceux qui sont sensibles à l’environnement.
	Vivre à Toulouse ! Live in Toulouse!
The coolest place to be thanks to a hugly varied offering on all levels for culture, sports and university life.	La plus cool en tout grâce à une offre variée au niveau culturel, sportif et universitaire.

General Facts

The French population is 61 million. It's the third biggest population in Europe. Since 1960, the French population has increased from forty to sixty one million, an increase of some twenty million people.

The average density (that is the number of people living on on square kilometre of land) is 107 people.

The majority of French people live on just over 10% of the land for example in the Parisian region, the cities surrounding Lyon, the Rhone Valley, and the Mediterranean costal area. Map Source: http://sedac. ciesin.columbia .edu/gpw/

This population is not shared out equally across the country. It is denser on the coasts and in the river valleys. It is larger in the more attractive regions or where travel is easy. In those parts of France without big towns, or with access problems, (such as mountainous areas), the population is much less.

For example, Paris and the Ile de Paris region surrounding it, have a density of 912. La Lozère, a region in the West of France, has only 17 people per square kilometre! The majority of French people live in towns and the surrounding suburbs. Three out of four people live in towns or cities.

Life expectancy in France.

The popultion is getting older, and the birth rate is reducing. People are talking about a "grey boom" or a "papy boom". The graph below shows how there are fewer under 20s now than 40 years ago.