Hurepoix

The Hurepoix is a old province of the kingdom of France and French natural area located in the south-west of the area of Île-de-France, mainly in the department of the the Essonne, with part of the territory of the Yvelines and Hauts-de-Seine. Dourdan is the historical capital, but Évry became the prefecture of the department and the principal urban center.

Geography

It is delimited in north by Paris, in the west by the Forêt of Rambouillet in the Mantois, in the east by the the Seine, the forests of Fontainebleau in the Gâtinais and of Sénart in the Brie, in the south by the Plaine S of the Beauce. The ground of Hurepoix is mainly marly, sandy and argillaceous allowing the extraction of Meulière. Residues of covering by the sea of the Paris basin, some plates are covered with Lœss.

Principal rivers:

the the Essonne
the Juine
the Barley
the Yvette
the Beaver
the Rémarde
the Vixen

Principal forests:

National forest of Glass-the-Bush
Forest of Dourdan

History

According to the dictionary of Trévoux of 1771, Hurepoix is a region of the government of the Île-de-France, Heripensis pagus . It is located between the Brie from which the Seine separates it with raising and the Beauce with the setting one. His limits well are not known. Trévoux brings back then the remarks of certain Fauchet which claims that this name was given to this country because it was extremely cold or because it was roughcast of wood and forests ( horrebat frigore or sylvis arboribus ) or perhaps because its inhabitants had the roughcast hair ( quibus pili horridi ).

Agricultural area in its southern part with cereal and beet cultures, the urbanization intensifies in the north of the area, because of the proximity of Paris.

Heraldic

Administrative organization

Inter-commune structures

Part of the communes of Hurepoix gathered in communities of agglomeration or communes: In the Essonne:

the Community of communes of Arpajonnais: 14 communes and 58.325 inhabitants.
the Community of common Heart of Hurepoix: 4 communes and 18.643 inhabitants.
the Community of communes Between Juine and Renarde: 13 communes and 16.188 inhabitants.
Communauté of agglomeration Europ' the Essonne
Communauté of Évry agglomeration Centers the Essonne
Communauté of communes Dourdannais in Hurepoix
Communauté of agglomeration the Lakes of the Essonne
Communauté of communes of the country of Limours
Communauté of agglomeration of the plate of Saclay
Communauté of communes of the Doors of the Essonne
Communauté of agglomeration the Seine-Essonne
Communauté of agglomeration of the Barley Valley