As a real estation professional, we regularly receive calls from people who want to move to our beautiful region, which has an attractive economic base, thanks in particular to its proximity to Switzerland, and an exceptional natural environment. When I arrived from Brussels in 2006, having always lived in big cities, I was very worried that life would be too quiet. After spending over fifteen years in the region, I can only conclude how wrong I was! My children were born and raised here. We all still marvel at the beauty of the landscape, the vibrancy of the place and the joy of the people we meet. In many ways, we feel privileged to live here, and today we wouldn't dream of living anywhere else.
So we wanted to paint a brief picture of our region as we see it. There are thousands of treasures to be discovered in Pays de Gex, so don't hesitate to share them!
What is Pays de Gex?
Pays Gex borders on Switzerland (canton of Geneva and canton of Vaud) and the Jura mountains, with splendid views over the Lake Geneva basin and the Alps. The region is rich in cultural diversity, natural heritage and economic attractiveness. For hundreds of years, trade with neighbouring Switzerland has contributed to the area's development. In 1814, a free trade zone was created to facilitate trade between the two countries.
Pays de Gex is made up of 27 communes, and some of its responsibilities are managed by the Communauté d'Agglomération du Pays de Gex (an Etablissement Public de Coopération Intercommunale (EPCI), itself made up of elected representatives from the 27 communes, representing the population of Pays de Gex. Its aim is to manage together all the issues that affect the whole area (for example, water and waste management, population growth, tourism, etc.)
For more information, please visit the Conurbation's website: https://www.paysdegexagglo.fr/
and the department's website: https://patrimoines.ain.fr/n/pays-de-gex/n:108
What's life like in Pays de Gex?
If you come from a large city, you're probably wondering what you can do in Pays de Gex. There's no big city with its shopping streets (and all the same street shops!), no international museum, no Zenith. But what a rich region we have! Within a radius of around thirty kilometres, you can :
Walk in nature with breathtaking views;
Ski in winter, in the Alps or the Jura, or enjoy other mountain activities;
Swim in summer, in Lake Geneva of course, but also in numerous rivers and lakes;
Enjoy all kinds of sports, on land or in the water;
Enjoy a meal in one of the many quality restaurants in the area. A large number of Pays de Gex communes have small shops and restaurants in their centres, contributing to the vitality of local life;
Entertain in theatres and outdoor festivals in summer;
Flan and buy fresh produce at the many markets;
Take advantage of the attractions offered by major cities such as Geneva, Annecy and Lausanne;
Meet and mingle at the many events organised by local authorities and associations, and enjoy the multicultural atmosphere;
Or get away easily, for a weekend or a holiday at the end of the world, thanks to the proximity of the international airport. Who lives in Pays de Gex? (data textracted from the INSEE website)
Pays de Gex had a population of 100,314 in 2020, according to the latest INSEE figures, living in an area of almost 405 sq.km. The population density is 247.8 inhabitants/sq.km, a density that has increased significantly over the last 50 years (the density was 54.7 inhabitants/sq.km in 1968). On average, the population has increased by 2.3% per year between 2014 and 2020, and 1.6% of this variation is due to population movements (0.7% of this growth is due to natural increase).
In terms of housing, the area has 52,253 dwellings, 82.3% of which are primary residences, occupied mainly by owners (55% of Pays de Gex residents own their primary residence). Only 6.5% of homes are vacant, compared with 8.2% nationally. Houses account for over 41% of the housing stock, and have an average of 5.5 rooms. Almost 84% of principal residences (houses and flats) were built after 1971 (52.8% built after 1991). These few figures bear witness to the rapid development of the built environment over the last 50 years.
You can see more figures for our region on the INSEE website by searching for Métropole de CA du Pays de Gex (240100750). As you can see, our feeling is that we live in a privileged and dynamic area, where nature is omnipresent, while having the joy of meeting people from different backgrounds and cultures and benefiting from an attractive economic environment.
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