Dept 42 Rank #6 / 96
Loire
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · Nearest city: Saint-Étienne / Lyon (~40 min)
🚄 TGV
Pilat massif, Gorges de la Loire
Why this score · reflects your priorities
Loire combines affordable property, dry comfortable weather and decent sunshine, with little tourism and cool winters as its softer spots. La Loire combine un immobilier abordable, un climat sec et agréable et un ensoleillement correct, avec un tourisme discret et des hivers frais comme points faibles.
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Communes
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Climate
Sunshine
2,062h/yr
Trend 2015-2025: roughly flat.
p65 of 96
Sunny days
169/yr
days >50% sunlit
p66 of 96
Rain days
106/yr
Trend 2015-2025: about 1 more rain days each year.
p18 of 96
Annual rainfall
671mm/yr
total volume
p41 of 96
Heavy rain
5/yr
≥ 20 mm/day
p58 of 96
Torrential
0.4/yr
≥ 50 mm/day
p76 of 96
Hot days >30°
28/yr
Trend 2015-2025: about 1 fewer hot days each year.
p70 of 96
Winter mildness
3/10
1.0 °C avg Jan low
Trend 2015-2025: January warming 0.2 °C per year.
p23 of 96
Wind
2.7m/s
annual mean
Trend 2015-2025: roughly flat.
p29 of 96
Muggy days
2/yr
TG≥22°C & HU≥70%
Trend 2015-2025: about 0.5 more muggy days each year.
p13 of 96
Avg max temperature · °C
6
J
8
F
12
M
15
A
19
M
23
J
26
J
26
A
21
S
16
O
10
N
7
D
2050 outlook TRACC +2.7°C · vs 1976-2005
Hot days ≥35°C ~+4 days · +3 so far
Tropical nights ~+12 nights · +3 so far
Frost days ~-28 days · -20 so far
Dry-soil days ~+27 days
Landscape
Landscape score
5/10
p57 of 96
Max elevation
1,634m
p72 of 96
Forest cover
29.9%
p48 of 96
Characteristics
⛰ Mountains
Pilat massif, Gorges de la Loire
Identity
Loire is the birthplace of Innocent V (philosophe).
Notable figures born here
Innocent V — philosopheAlain Prost — pilote de Formule 1Pierre Boulez — compositeurJean-Pierre Jeunet — réalisateurWilly Sagnol — footballeurAimé Jacquet — footballeurMarie-Anne Pierrette Paulze — naturalisteFaouzi Ghoulam — footballeurAravane Rezaï — joueurLoïc Perrin — footballeur
Terroir & appellations
Loire lies within protected appellation areas, including Côtes du Rhône, Château-Grillet, Condrieu.
Côtes du RhôneChâteau-GrilletCondrieuSaint-JosephFourme de MontbrisonRigotte de CondrieuCharolaisBœuf de CharollesFourme d'AmbertCôte roannaiseCôtes du ForezUrfé Trelins
Distinctions
Plus Beaux Détours de France (2)
- Honoré d’Urfé
- Pépinières et roseraies Paul Croix
- Jardin botanique
- Jardin de l'écomusée des monts du Forez
Station classée de tourisme (5)
Risks
Safety score
7/10
Flood risk
Low
% communes flood-exposed (GASPAR union)
p35 of 96
Fire risk
Low
Copernicus FWI · fire-weather index
p38 of 96
Seismic exposure
Very high
% in a seismic zone (most of France is)
p80 of 96
Major risks present
⚛ Nuclear nearby Share of the department's communes listing each risk category
Earthquake Very high 100% p80 of 96
Severe weather Very high 100% p90 of 96
Radon Very high 100% p93 of 96
Subsidence & cavities Very high 94.7% p69 of 96
Ground movement Very high 93.5% p61 of 96
Flooding Moderate 53.6% p54 of 96
Dam failure Low 29.1% p88 of 96
Wildfire Low 25.7% p65 of 96
+3 more
Other hazards Low 21.7% p92 of 96
Nuclear Very low 13% p94 of 96
Industrial hazard Very low 11.1% p83 of 96
Transport
Transport
9/10
2.5 h to Paris · TGV + closeness
TGV access
Yes
Direct TGV station
Highways
3
A47 · A72 · A89
Work locally
30.9%
work in own commune
Nearest hubs
🏙 Nearest city
Saint-Étienne / Lyon (~40 min)
✈ Airport
Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport (LYS) · ~72 km
🚄 To Paris via TGV
2.5h direct
🛣 Highways
A47, A72, A89
Services
Healthcare
6/10
APL 3.5
p46 of 96
Schools
7/10
Brevet 89%
p71 of 96
Fiber coverage
98%
p83 of 96
Intl schools
3schools
International programmes available
p60 of 96
People
Population
750,995
p69 of 96
Density
157/km²
Urban
+94% vs median 81
32 387
Pop trend
+0.2%/yr
0 pts vs median · p49
Median income
$25,000
standard of living · $/yr
p36 of 96
Poverty rate
15.8%
below 60% of median living standard
p68 of 96
Unemployment
11.5%
active population out of work
p60 of 96
Tourism
1 bed per 131 residents
p0 of 96 · 5,731 beds
Age distribution · % of population
0-14
18%
15-24
14%
25-39
15%
40-54
14%
55-69
18%
70+
21%
Office professionals
14.2%
cadres · engineers, managers, professionals
p53 of 96
Remote work
3.6%
télétravail · works without commuting
p13 of 96
Socio-professional mix · % of occupied workers
Office
Managers & professionals
14.2%
At-home trades
Farmers
1.4%
Artisans & shopkeepers
7.3%
On-site · services, health, teaching, manual
Intermediate professions incl. nurses, teachers
27.3%
Clerical & service staff
26.2%
Manual workers
23.7%
Real estate
Median
$1,590/m²
$830 $3,070
House $2,030 Apt $1,410
0%/yr 2023–25
Median surface
—m²
Taxe foncière
41.5%
typical commune rate · TFPB
p31 of 96
Price distribution across communes · $/m²
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