Commune of Villeneuve d'Ascq
Location
Longitude	03° 08' 42" E
Latitude	50° 37' 24" N
Administration
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Department	Nord
Arrondissement	Lille
Canton	Chief town of 2 cantons
Intercommunality	Lille Métropole
Mayor	Jean-Michel Stievenard (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	19 m–46 m
Land area¹	27.46 km²
Population² (2004)	62,400
- Density (2004)	2,868/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	59009/ 59491, 59493, 59650
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Saint-Pierre d'Ascq church

Located between Lille and Roubaix, at the crossroads of the principal freeways towards Paris, Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels, Villeneuve d'Ascq (which means New city of Ascq in French) is one of the principal cities of the communauté urbaine Lille Métropole. Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ (lambda),[1][2] describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ... Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. ... This is an alphabetical list of countries of the world, including independent states (both those that are internationally recognised and generally unrecognised), inhabited dependent territories and areas of special sovereignty. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Capital Lille Area 12,414 km² Regional President Daniel Percheron ( PS) (since 2001) Population   - 2004 estimate   - 1999 census   - Density (Ranked 4th) 4,026,000 3,996,588 324/km² (2004) Arrondissements 13 Cantons 156 Communes 1,546 Départements Nord Pas-de-Calais The administrative region of Nord-Pas-de... Departments (French: départements) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to English counties. ... Extent of Flemish in the Arrondissement of Dunkirk, 1874 and 1972 Nord (French: North) is a département in the north of France. ... The 100 French départements are divided into 342 arrondissements. ... The arrondissement of Lille is an arrondissement of France, located in the Nord département, of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais région. ... The canton is an administrative division of France. ... The commune is an administrative division of France. ... Founded December 22, 1967 President Pierre Mauroy (PS) (since 1989) Communes 85 Area 611. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... INSEE is the French abbreviation for the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (French: Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques). ... Postal codes were introduced in France in 1972, when La Poste introduced automated sorting. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits. ... This page lists English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations, such as and . ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1014 KB) Summary The church Saint-Pierre of Ascq (Villeneuve dAscq). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1014 KB) Summary The church Saint-Pierre of Ascq (Villeneuve dAscq). ... For other uses, see Lille (disambiguation). ... Location within France Roubaix is a city of northern France, in the Nord département, located near the cities of Lille and Tourcoing and the Belgian border. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... Ghent municipality and district in the province East Flanders Ghent (IPA: ; Gent in Dutch; Gand in French, formerly Gaunt in English) is a city and a municipality located in Flanders, Belgium. ... For other uses, see Antwerp (disambiguation). ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums[] Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... A communauté urbaine (urban community in English) is the higher degree of intercommunal cooperation in France. ... Founded December 22, 1967 President Pierre Mauroy (PS) (since 1989) Communes 85 Area 611. ...

Demography

Villeneuve d'Ascq counts more than 60,000 inhabitants and attracts 50,000 students. The median age of the population is 29 years.

Geography

The city counts approximately 10 km² of greenspace, lakes, forests and arable lands.

History

The roots of the city go up in Celtic Gaul, and are anchored in two feudal mounds, a Gallo-Roman site and a Carolingian one. Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... This article covers the culture of Romanized areas of Gaul. ... Also see: France in the Middle Ages. ...

Its site was selected in the 1960s to accommodate the new town of Lille-Est, which was to channel the development of the agglomeration. The commune of Villeneuve d'Ascq was created in 1970 by the amalgamation of the three communes (Ascq, Annappes and Flers). Its name evokes at the same time the new city and the memory of Ascq, martyr city of April 1, 1944, date on which the Nazis massacred 86 men. A new town, planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was designed from scratch, and grew up more or less following the plan. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Chronology:

• April 11, 1969 : creation of the publicly owned establishment of installation of Lille-Est (EPALE)
• February 25, 1970: decree of creation of the commune of Villeneuve d'Ascq (26,178 inhabitants according to the census of 1968)
• December 31, 1983: dissolution of the EPALE, the city then reached 60,000 inhabitants.
• 1986: creation of Villeneuve d'Ascq Technopole (VAT, pronounced veh-ah-teh).

April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Technopole refers to a center of high-tech manufacturing and information-based quaternary industry. ...

Administration

Having succeeded Gérard Caudron as mayor from 1977 to 2001, Jean-Michel Stievenard and his team wish to maintain balances the environnement and the economic development, the greenery and technology, the daily wellbeing and the great projects, the social one and quality, opening on the its internal comfort and rest of the world, its finance and high degree of public utility. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Villeneuve d'Ascq is divided into two cantons: The canton is an administrative division of France. ...

• Villeneuve d'Ascq-Nord (North) counts 31,811 inhabitants;
• Villeneuve d'Ascq-Sud (South) counts 33,231 inhabitants.

Landmarks

The city keeps of its past of many vestiges, sites and equipment. One can visit a museum of modern art there, the forum of sciences François Mitterrand, the rebuildings of a Gaulois village to the park Archéologique ASNAPIO.   IPA: (October 26, 1916 – January 8, 1996) was President of France from 1981 to 1995, elected as representative of the Socialist Party (PS). ...

The town's stadium Stadium Lille Metropole is the temporary home of Lille's Soccer club the Lille Olympique Sporting Club which is one of the major teams in the French Soccer league, has won 8 major national trophies and now regularly features in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. Stade Lille-Metropole is a multi-use stadium in Villeneuve dAscq, France. ... Lille Olympique Sporting Club is a French football club, based in the northern city of Lille founded in 1944 from the merger of the Olympique Lillois (founded in 1902) and the SC Fives (founded in 1901). ...

Miscellaneous

Education and research

Villeneuve d'Ascq counts many laboratories, a great number of companies and two universities:

• the Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille (USTL)
• the Université de Lille III

Other schools and institutes include: The Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille (USTL) or Université de Lille I is a French university with 20,000 students, plus 14500 students in continuing education (2004). ... The Université Charles-de-Gaulle or Université Lille III is a French university. ...

• Lycée Saint Adrien
• École Centrale de Lille
• EUDIL

The École Centrale de Lille, formerly known as the Institut Industriel du Nord, located in Villeneuve dAscq, near Lille, France, is one of the French Grandes écoles of engineering. ...

Twin towns

Villeneuve d'Ascq is twinned with:

• Stirling, (Scotland), UK

• Tournai, Belgium

• Chaidari, Greece

• Leverkusen, Germany

• La Possession, Réunion

• Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

• Iaşi, Romania

Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Broad Street at the heart of Stirlings Old Town area (called Top of the Town by locals) Stirling Castle (Southwest aspect) The main courtyard inside Stirling Castle. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78,772 km... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ... Tournai (in Dutch: Doornik in Latin: Tornacum) is a municipality located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt (in French: Escaut, in Dutch: Schelde), in the Belgian province of Hainaut. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Greece. ... Chaidari, Haidari, or Khaidari Χαϊδάριον(Greek, modern: , Ancient/Katharevousa: ), older forms Haidarion and Khaidarion is a suburb in the west northwestern part of Athens, Greece. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Leverkusen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... Localisation of La Possession in département of Réunion La Possession is a commune in the French overseas département of Réunion. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Quebec. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Canada_(bordered). ... Motto: Ursus super montem ivit Area: 342. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Romania. ... County IaÅŸi County Status Municipality Mayor Gheorghe Nichita, Social Democratic Party, since 2003 Area 93. ...

Transportation

Villeneuve d'Ascq is connected to Lille by a VAL, a type of automatic (driverless) light rubber-tired metro. In fact, while the acronym VAL now officially stands for Véhicule Automatique Léger (automatic light vehicle), it was originally for Villeneuve d'Ascq à Lille (Villeneuve d'Ascq to Lille), the route of the first line to be projected, and inaugurated on April 25, 1983. VAL is a type of automatic (driverless) light rubber-tired metro, technology based on an invention by Professor Robert Gabillard. ... A rubber-tyred train of the Paris Métro. ... A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan) system is a railway — usually in an urban area — with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Backronym and Apronym (Discuss) Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, such as NATO, laser, and ABC, written as the initial letter or letters of words, and pronounced on the basis of this abbreviated written form. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Villeneuve d'Ascq

• Villeneuve d'Ascq official website
• Museum of modern art
• Forum des sciences (Centre François Mitterrand)
• Office of tourism