La Grand-Croix

Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

(2020–2026) Luc François^[1]Area4.05 km² (1.56 sq mi)Population5,026 • Density1,200/km² (3,200/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal codeElevation274–427 m (899–1,401 ft)
(avg. 289 m or 948 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

La Grand-Croix (French pronunciation: [la ɡʁɑ̃ kʁwa]) is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Loire department in central France.^[3] It lies in the Gier valley.

The commune was the main town of the former canton of La Grand-Croix, arrondissement of Saint-Étienne.

It lies on the A47 autoroute. Lyon is 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the east, and Saint-Étienne is 18 kilometres (11 mi) to the west. The commune is close to the Parc Naturel Régional du Pilat.^[4]

The river Dorlay, a tributary of the Gier that rises in Mont Pilat, forms the border between La Grand-Croix and Lorette.^[5]

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1861 3,056 —     1866 3,664 +3.70% 1872 3,830 +0.74% 1876 4,299 +2.93% 1881 4,322 +0.11% 1886 4,478 +0.71% 1891 4,535 +0.25% 1896 4,765 +0.99% 1901 4,928 +0.67% 1906 4,824 −0.43% 1911 4,878 +0.22% 1921 5,049 +0.35% 1926 4,858 −0.77%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1931 4,711 −0.61% 1936 3,946 −3.48% 1946 4,141 +0.48% 1954 4,549 +1.18% 1962 5,040 +1.29% 1968 5,238 +0.64% 1975 5,088 −0.41% 1982 5,125 +0.10% 1990 4,983 −0.35% 1999 4,962 −0.05% 2007 5,027 +0.16% 2012 5,059 +0.13% 2017 5,136 +0.30%
Source: EHESS[6] and INSEE (1968-2017)[7]

Twin towns

La Grand-Croix is twinned with:

• Santa Cruz de la Zarza, Spain, since 1993

See also

• Communes of the Loire department

References