In this Loire-Atlantique town, new residents appreciate the living environment and services

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In 2023-2024, “200 families have arrived in the city” announced Isabelle Pontier, president of the AVF of Guérande (Loire-Atlantique), organizer of the annual welcome evening for new arrivals on Friday November 22, 2024.

70 families were present.

Among them, in addition to “young retirees who appreciate the setting for their retirement, ex-tourists who return to settle down permanently or connections with family or friends” lists Isabelle Pontier.

“More dynamic, but with more traffic”

There are also young professionals who come to work, or families who appreciate the living environment, the welcome and the social ties.

Maxime Larue comes from Paris, back in the city of his childhood which he left at 18. After activities linked to his business school training, passionate about plants, he undertook a professional reconversion towards herbalism which he practices in Guérande.

20 years later, he appreciates Guérande, with more people than when he left it, “more dynamic, but with more traffic, like at the Villeneuve roundabout where we went to get eggs from a farmer. It was already scary at the time, but today it’s the extreme,” he notes.

However, he appreciates “a positive development, intramural, on an architectural level with renovations”. For him, “it’s a return to basics. We are happy when we leave, but we are lucky here to live in a green and pleasant region.”

Mathilde and Henri are 25 years old, he comes from the Paris region, she from Orléans, but of Breton origin. Henri works at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Mathilde, a teacher, found a job at Saint-Jean-Baptiste college:

“We wanted to go to the West, we arrived a little by chance in Guérande. »

They appreciate “the city, pleasant, not too big, but with many services, with the advantages, but without the disadvantages of the big city”.

Since their arrival, they have gotten married (last July), and wishing to integrate, they will join associations, including La Madeleine aux sports. They note “the strong belonging of the inhabitants to the commune, an affirmed identity”.

» A favorite »

Virginie, Florian and their two daughters do not come from far away. They grew up in La Baule and lived in Saint-André-des-Eaux. They found a house in Guérande, “a favorite” in which the objective attractiveness regarding the schools for their two daughters, currently in nursery and first grade, greatly contributes.

“In Guérande, there are all stages for children, from kindergarten to high school, as well as numerous cultural and sporting activities, swimming pool, bowling, cinema, sports associations. Girls love walking around the medieval city. We plan to stay in Guérande for the long term,” analyzes Virginie.

“The children's area for this evening is a great idea,” she assures, both for the parents, but also for the children, officially invited and proud of the drawings they have made.

Jean-Pierre RIOU, local correspondent

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