Rhône

Rhône is a department of east-central France in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes administrative region. It takes its name from the Rhône River, one of the principal waterways of southeastern France, and is associated geographically with the Rhône and Saône river corridor. The department borders Ain, Isère, Loire, and Saône-et-Loire. Villefranche-sur-Saône is its only subprefecture and is the most populous commune within the post-2015 departmental territory. The department was established on 12 August 1793, when the revolutionary-era department of Rhône-et-Loire was divided into the separate departments of Rhône and Loire. Its original boundaries were closely linked to Lyon, but subsequent urban growth made the initial territorial arrangement increasingly impractical. The department was enlarged several times as Lyon's suburbs expanded. In 1852, four communes were transferred from Isère. In 1967, a further 23 communes from Isère and six from Ain were incorporated, followed by the transfer of one additional commune from Isère in 1971. These changes increased the department's area from 2,791 square kilometres to 3,249 square kilometres. For much of its modern history, Rhône's demographic weight was concentrated in the Lyon metropolitan area. Before the institutional separation of the Métropole de Lyon, more than three quarters of the department's population lived in the Greater Lyon urban area, which contained nearly all of the department's largest cities apart from Villefranche-sur-Saône. The 2015 reform fundamentally changed the department's territorial and administrative profile. The Métropole de Lyon became a separate territorial collectivity with powers combining those of an intermunicipal authority and a department. As a result, Rhône lost approximately 16 percent of its territory and 75 percent of its population. The post-2015 arrangement is institutionally unusual. Lyon is no longer within the departmental territory, yet it remains the department's administrative centre because the prefect continues to sit there. The departmental council also remains based in Lyon rather than moving to Villefranche-sur-Saône. Rhône therefore has its prefecture and departmental council outside the territory over which the department itself exercises jurisdiction, while the department and the Métropole de Lyon share a prefect. Including the metropolis, the wider administrative area associated with Rhône had 1,914,667 inhabitants in 2023; excluding the metropolis, the department had 478,313 inhabitants. Rhône's public identity is therefore shaped by both its historical connection with Lyon and its contemporary distinction from the Lyon metropolitan authority. Its responsibilities are exercised through the departmental council and the French territorial-administration system, while its representation in national elections is organized through the Rhône departmental constituency, which also includes the Métropole de Lyon for certain electoral purposes. Christophe Guilloteau has served as president of the Departmental Council since 2015. The department remains an active territorial authority of the French Republic.

Rhône was created on 12 August 1793 during the French Revolution, when the large department of Rhône-et-Loire was divided into Rhône and Loire. The new department was named after the Rhône River and was organized around the Lyon area. Its early boundaries placed Lyon at the eastern edge of the department, with several developing suburban communities located in neighboring departments. The growth of Lyon during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries made this arrangement increasingly difficult. Urban expansion crossed departmental boundaries, and communities that had become functionally integrated with Lyon were not initially part of Rhône. Territorial adjustments therefore brought several neighboring communes into the department. In 1852, four communes were transferred from Isère. A much larger reorganization followed in 1967, when 23 communes from Isère and six from Ain were incorporated. One further commune was transferred from Isère in 1971. Collectively, these changes increased the department's area from 2,791 square kilometres to 3,249 square kilometres, an increase of about 16.4 percent. The additions also had a major demographic effect. Before the later creation of the Métropole de Lyon, much of the department's population was concentrated in the Lyon conurbation. In the 1999 census, the territory corresponding to the original department would have contained approximately 1.07 million inhabitants, while the areas added over the preceding two centuries accounted for more than half a million additional residents. The department's identity consequently developed through a combination of historic rural and semi-rural areas, expanding suburban communities, and the dominant economic and administrative influence of Lyon. A decisive institutional change took effect in 2015, when the Métropole de Lyon was created as a separate territorial collectivity. The metropolis assumed powers associated with both an intermunicipal authority and a department. This removed Lyon and its principal metropolitan suburbs from the departmental structure. Rhône lost about 16 percent of its territory and 75 percent of its population, leaving Villefranche-sur-Saône as the largest commune in the reduced department and its only subprefecture. The post-2015 structure created an unusual administrative situation. Lyon ceased to be part of the department but remained the location of the departmental prefecture. The departmental council likewise continued to sit in Lyon instead of relocating to Villefranche-sur-Saône. The prefecture is shared institutionally by Rhône and the Métropole de Lyon, even though the two entities are distinct. Rhône is consequently administered through an arrangement in which key departmental institutions are based outside the department's territorial limits. The department's principal rivers are the Rhône and the Saône, which meet in Lyon. Its neighboring departments are Ain, Isère, Loire, and Saône-et-Loire. The department remains part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and continues to operate as an active French departmental authority. Its population in 2023 was 478,313 when the Métropole de Lyon was excluded, compared with 1,914,667 for the combined area including the metropolis. Christophe Guilloteau has been president of the Departmental Council since 2015.

• 2023

  Population recorded after metropolitan separation

  [1]Rhône (department)en.wikipedia.org

  The department had 478,313 inhabitants excluding the Métropole de Lyon; the combined area including the metropolis had 1,914,667 inhabitants.

• 2015

  Creation of the Métropole de Lyon

  [1]Rhône (department)en.wikipedia.org

  The Lyon metropolitan area became a separate territorial collectivity, causing Rhône to lose much of its population and part of its territory.

• 1971

  Further territorial adjustment

  [1]Rhône (department)en.wikipedia.org

  One additional commune was transferred from Isère to Rhône.

• 1967

  Substantial suburban boundary changes

  [1]Rhône (department)en.wikipedia.org

  Twenty-three communes from Isère and six communes from Ain were incorporated into Rhône.

• 1852

  First major enlargement

  [1]Rhône (department)en.wikipedia.org

  Four communes were transferred from Isère to Rhône as Lyon's urban area expanded.

• 1793

  Creation of the department

  [1]Rhône (department)en.wikipedia.org

  Rhône was created on 12 August 1793 when Rhône-et-Loire was divided into the departments of Rhône and Loire.

A French territorial authority whose identity combines historic ties to Lyon with a distinct post-2015 departmental territory centered on the northern Lyonnais and Villefranche-sur-Saône area.

Product categories. Public administration and departmental services · Territorial planning and local government · Departmental infrastructure and public facilities · Social, educational, and community services

• 2015

  Administrative separation from the Métropole de LyonStrategy

  Background

  The Lyon urban area had developed into a major metropolitan entity requiring a distinct institutional structure.

  Action taken

  The Métropole de Lyon was established as a separate collectivity with powers combining those of an intermunicipal authority and a department.

  Aftermath

  Rhône lost approximately 16 percent of its territory and 75 percent of its population, while Lyon remained the location of the prefecture and departmental council.

  Source

• 1793

  Establishment of Rhône as a separate departmentStrategy

  Background

  The revolutionary administration reorganized the former Rhône-et-Loire department.

  Action taken

  Rhône-et-Loire was divided into the departments of Rhône and Loire on 12 August 1793.

  Aftermath

  Rhône became a distinct department within the French territorial-administration system.

  Source

1. 1Rhône (department)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official website of the Rhône departmentrhone.fr