According to the estimates of population of INSEE, Montpellier counts to 244.100 inhabitants in 2005, which makes of it the eighth French city except agglomeration. Its growth is always very important, oscillating between 1 and 2% since 1999, are the first French population growth for a city of more than 100.000 inhabitants. The last census estimates at 391.162 inhabitants the population of Montpellier and its agglomeration, is the 19th French rank (531 000 in the urban surface)

The census of 1999 specifies that 20,9% of the population montpelliéraine have between 0 and 19 years, 60,7% between 20 and 59 years, and 18,4% more than 60 years. With 43% of the old montpelliérains of less than 30 years, the city is younger than its area: the Languedoc-Roussillon account indeed 25,1% of more than 60 years.

Administrative organization

Montpellier is the city centers Communauté of agglomeration of Montpellier, which counts 31 communes and 391.000 inhabitants.

The last Mayors of Montpellier:

• 1959 - 1977: François Delmas
• 1977 - 2004: Georges Frêche
• 2004 -: Helene Mandroux

Several jurisdictions have their seats downtown including one court of arbitration located place of Canourgue.

Agglomeration of Montpellier

• See: Montpellier-Agglomeration
• 170.000 credits is 45% of the active population of the department.
• nearly 65.000 students.
• more than 21.000 companies including 18 parks of ativities representing 760 companies and 18.473 employment.

Economy

Montpellier is also the seat of the Regional court of trade and industry of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Montpellier is classified, according to a study of the DIACT, like the intermediate regional metropolis gravitational.

Higher education

The university Pole of Montpellier and Languedoc-Roussillon gathers the establishments of higher education of the city and the Languedoc-Roussillon Area.

Population coed

Montpellier is the 7th university pole of France after Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, Marseilles and Bordeaux. One estimates at nearly 60.000 the number of students present in the three universities montpelliéraines and the universities (National college of business, 3Ecole Nationale Sup3erieure of architecture, 3Ecole Nationale Sup3erieure of agronomy = Agro Montpellier, 3Ecole Nationale Sup3erieure of Chemistry, private schools…).

Its strong point is the number of the students compared to the population is 30% (the only equivalent European city is Bologna, the historical heritage plays full, they are the two older universities of Europe ref. study DATAR 2004). The city is thus with the second rank of the national urban surfaces, after Poitiers, from the point of view of the student's concentration.

The rate of continuation of higher learning in the academy of Montpellier is higher than the national average (52,9% against 47,8%).

40% of the students of Montpellier are not originating in the Languedoc-Roussillon area, and 17% are of foreign nationality. Among the foreign students, a majority come from a country out of the European Union and 47% are African.

Preparatory classes

the college Joffre

The Joffre college accommodates approximately 800 pupils in scientific, literary and commercial Preparatory classes.

The scientific classes (500 pupils taupins) of Joffre have existed for more than two hundred years. The literary classes prépas (Khâgne S) count 200 pupils and the commercial classes a hundred.

the college Jean Mermoz

The Mermoz college proposes technical Preparatory classes.

the college Jules Guesde, anc. of Mas de Tesse

The college Jules Guesde proposes commercial Preparatory classes.

the denominational private college Mercy

The college Mercy proposes since 1991 of the scientific and commercial Preparatory classes.

Universities

Montpellier is equipped with three universities:

• the University Montpellier 1 which gathers the various disciplines such as the right, medicine, pharmacy, the economy, management, odontology and STAPS.

• the University Montpellier 2 (university of sciences and technology or UFR of sciences) which gathers sciences, Polytech' Montpellier, the IAE (Institute of administration of the companies) and the IUT (Academic institute of technology)
• the Université Montpellier 3 (Paul-Valéry university) which gathers the letters, social sciences and arts.

The fame of the universities montpelliéraines is important, in particular in the field of the medical research and scientist, and this since the Middle Ages.

The UFR of medicine of Montpellier (University Montpellier 1) is the oldest medical college in activity in the world. As of 1340, it creates a course of anatomy which makes its fame quickly and, in 1556, it is the first to be obtained an amphitheater devoted to the examination of the corpses. It is in Montpellier that the first autopsy of study on human body was carried out, with the secrecy of the religion which prohibited any intervention on people deceased. This faculty counted famous students and large experts, among whom Arnaud of Villeneuve, Guy de Chauliac (father of the medical surgery), Nostradamus, François Rabelais (humanistic doctor), François de Lapeyronie (surgeon of the king), Paul-Joseph Barthez (personal doctor of Louis XVI and Bonaparte).

The libraries of the universities belong to the BIU. The UFR of medicine shelters an important library of 900 handwritten volumes, including 300 Incunable S, and 100.000 printed volumes former to 1800.

See also: University Montpellier 1

Universities

• ei.cesi - School of engineers of the cesi (secondary school).
• CNEARC - Institute of the hot areas.
• COFAT - Command of the formation of the Army (secondary school).
• ENGREF - National school of the agricultural engineering of water and the forests (secondary school).
• ENSC Montpellier - 3Ecole Nationale Sup3erieure of Chemistry of Montpellier.
• ESC Montpellier - National college of business of Montpellier (Sup Group of Co)
• Montpellier SupAgro - international Center of higher learning in agronomic sciences.
• Polytech' Montpellier - Polytechnic school university of Montpellier.
• ENSAM 3Ecole Nationale Sup3erieure of Architecture of Montpellier

Private college education

• Studio M - University of Arts & Media.
Multi-media
• ACFA - School of private college education, trades of audio-visual and the multi-media one.
• ArtFx - private University of technical education - School of 3D, graphics, effects special, cinema, audio-visual, faking, video games, video game, range, range design, synthesized images, applied arts.
• Bush - School of private technical education - general Training in visual communication: graphic arts, visual arts, CAM, infographie/3D, numeric photography, multi-media, videonumeric.
• IDRAC - Research institute in Commercial Action National college of business and of Communication (SUP of COM).
• ESICAD - Private University of Trade and Montpellier Management.
• Academy Mercury of the international businesses.
• International School of Montpellier (Sup' group of Co)
• School of the high finance - BTS Accounts Department Management of the Organizations, DPECF, DECF, DESCF.
• EPSI Montpellier - Private school of computer sciences.
• ESCAIA - University of the agricultural co-operation and food industries.
• ESMA - University of the Trades of Aréronautique
• ETEC Formatep - private Technical training school of hairstyle and esthetics.
• SUPINFO - University of Data processing of Paris - regional Branch of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Transport

In car

Since the summer 2004, it quasi totality of the historical center is pedestrian and is accessible to the motorized residents and the deliverymen only with fixed hours.

To circulate in Montpellier can be very testing and the congestions are not rare. Lastly, there exists only little of free parking spaces and it is interdict to station more than twenty-four hours at the same place.

It is thus strongly recommended to the tourists to leave their vehicle apart from the city (there exist several carparks intended for that) or, better, to come by train. Public transport within the city is ideal to move the mind at ease. One can however deplore a number of cycle tracks insufficient (in progression despite everything), it in spite of the possibilities of hiring of bicycles.

Urban transport

TaM (Transport of the agglomeration of Montpellier) manages public transport inside the town of Montpellier, like several underground car parks. The line 1 of the tram in particular made speak about it with its creation by its passage on the place pedestrian of the Comédie.

The districts of Montpellier are thus served by:

• line 1 of Tram connecting the popular quarters of Paillade in the North-West at the zone of leisures of Odysseum to the east, while passing by the hospitals and faculties in north and the center of the city. It must be soon prolonged towards the new retail park and ludic Odysseum, then beyond towards the Zenith and the Saint-Etienne cemetery; Its preparing is blue with white silhouettes of swallows to the Folon.
• line 2 connecting the perish-urban communes of Jacou, Castelnau-le-Lez and Saint-Jean-with-Védas, while crossing the city centers according to a north-eastern axis - south-west. Its inauguration took place on December 16th, 2006, its decoration is " with grosses fleurs".
• fifteen urban lines of bus (the line the 15 circulating night until 1:00), and almost as many suburban lines bound for the communes of the agglomeration;
• the last line created was Amigo , which ensures of night the service road of the nightclubs of the agglomeration with the central districts and academics of the city, the success of the latter was worth to him to be doubled;
• a third tram line is envisaged and an evoked fourth:
• the line 3, whose public survey is in hand, would go from Juvignac to the west until Lattes and Pérols to the south-south-west and should enter in service in 2012; its dress " funds marin" multicoloured is conceived by Christian Lacroix.
• line 4, evoked in public by the mayor of Montpellier and the president of the agglomeration, should connect the center to the commune of Lavérune according to a layout towards the west and will be built at the same time as line 3;

Chemin de iron

For the moment the section Barcelona - Nimes (passing by Montpellier) of line high speed remains with the state of project because of successive ministerial decisions. It is in competition with the Nimes-Narbonne-Toulouse-Bordeaux section but especially with the section Bordeaux-San Sebastian.

Goods station is resulting the industrial park from Close from Arenas in the south to the city.

Previously, of the end of the 19th century at the beginning of second half of 20th, Montpellier was the terminus of several of the lines of the Railroad company of local interest of the department of Herault, managed by the general advice of the Herault, whose “Petit Train of Palavas celebrates it”.

• Montpellier in the encylopédie of the railroads

Town planning

Historical downtown area

The historical center of Montpellier is called the Écusson. This name is due to its form in ecu, shield medieval. It is limited by a series of boulevards which follow the old walls of the city. Of these powerful fortifications ever taken, dismantled on order of Richelieu, there remain only 3 notable elements:

• " The tower of Babote" was a long time an astronomical observatory. It gives access the old woman-city, close to middle-class in the past districts.
• the " turn of Pins" , old prison for women. It is also the object of one of the centuries of Nostradamus. The astrologer announced that Montpellier would perish by the flames the day when the pines capping this tower would disappear. This prediction was taken into account at the time of the last restoration of the building, which implied the pulling up of the known as pines. Thus, the city did not fail to install some thujas out of pots there.
• the " carry salinières" , with the outlets of the street of the University. It was used as door with a district cash of many religious congregations. It was also the privileged access by the salt traders, from where its name.

At the 17th century, on this same line of the old fortification, the Triumphal arch opening is built the old woman-city on the Gardens of Peyrou.

At the 19th century, taking as a starting point the work of the baron Haussmann with Paris, of work are carried out under the impulse of the mayor, Jules Pagézy, to create broad avenues within the Escutcheon. If work is unfinished, one owes them despite everything the street Foch, the street of the Cabin, the street of the Republic and the street Maguelone, main axes of the historical downtown area. The city extends then towards its suburbs (Saunerie, Figuerolles, Boutonnet, Saint-Jaumes) and around the station (the Mediterranean, boulevard of Strasbourg).

It should be noted that the extreme center of the escutcheon was built in " circulade" (Rebuffy Streets, of bayle, small the scel, Philippy…)

Districts of the city

• the district Montpellier-center gathers: the historical center (Escutcheon), Comedy, Stations, Boutonnet Suburb, Saint-Charles, Saint-Jaume Suburb, Peyrou, Arches, Suburb of Courreau, Gambetta, Clémenceau, the Mediterranean, boulevard of Strasbourg, the Triangle, Polygon, Antigone, New-World, Park with Balloons, Paddles, Art schools, Saint-Lazare.

• the district Cross-in Argent gathers: avenue of Toulouse, Money Cross, Farmhouse Drevon, Tastavin, Lemasson, Garosud, Farmhouse of Bagnères, Farmhouse Nouguier, Sabines, Lepic, Not of the Wolf, Estanove, Valley-of-Crozes, Trifle.

• the district the Cevennes gathers: The Cevennes, Alco, the Small Hand-barrow, Pergola, Saint-Clement, Clémentville, Tired Rebès, Chamberte, Hammers It, Montpellier-Village, the Grisettes, Grèzes.

• the district Mosson gathers: The Mosson, Celleneuve, Paillade, Top-of-Massane, the Large-Email, Tritons.

• the district Hospital-Faculties gathers: Malbosc, Saint-Priest, Euromédecine, Zolad, Plan of 4 Lords, Hospital, IUT, Soulas Father, Universities, Green-Wood, Tops of Boutonnet, Aiguelongue, Justice, Zoological gardens of Lunaret, Agropolis.

• the district Port-Marianne gathers: Pompignane, Richter, Millenium, Jacques Heart, Consuls of Sea, Grammont, Odysseum, Montaubérou, Méjanelle, Mogère.

• the district Close to Arenas gathers: Close to Arenas, Avenue of Palavas, Rauze, Tournezy, Saint Martin's day, Aiguerelles, Bridge-Trinquat, Quoted Mion.

Some photographs of the historical center