Rhone Alpes Description and Information

Rhône-Alpes Départements

• Ain
• Ardèche
• Drôme
• Isère
• Loire
• Rhône
• Savoie
• Haute-Savoie

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Rhône-Alpes Description

Rhône-Alpes, just north of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, is in south-east France and shares its eastern borders with Italy and Switzerland. The région, and particularly the départements Savoie and Haute-Savoie, is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. The mountains rise steadily from Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) and keep climbing to the year-round ice-capped tip of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe. In the winter it's a white-washed world of snowcapped peaks and icy lakes where everyone takes to the ski-slopes. In the summer months it's an entirely different place where you can enjoy the lowland pleasures of hiking through flower-filled meadows or swimming in the lakes. There are several national parks including the Parc National De La Vanoise, which is a wild mix of high mountains, steep valleys, glaciers and, walkers with 500km of marked trails, is ideal for ambitious walkers. A holiday home here would be ideal for breaks at all times of the year and if let out could bring a year-round guaranteed rental income, especially if it's based in the swish ski resorts such as Chamonix and Val d'Isere. While visitors flock to the ski resorts each winter, in the remote valleys such as the Haute Maurienne, rural life still goes on as it has for centuries, with the inhabitants hardened to the harsh climate and constant threat of avalanches.

The Alps can no longer be called a wilderness as there are many densely populated pockets. Building tends to be on the south facing slopes that are warmer. Unfortunately air pollution caused by heavy traffic, tourism and the concentration of heavy industries (chemicals and metallurgy) has been a problem.

One of the most prettiest towns in the région is Annecy, capital of the Haute-Savoie, with its colonnaded streets and the tributaries of the Canal de Thiou with railings overflowing with geraniums. Next to Lac d'Annecy there are plenty of water sports and beaches to picnic and bathe. Annecy is surrounded by charming villages.

Not all the région is quite as dramatic as its eastern départements. The Beaujolais area north of Lyons is a land of pastures and forests. This area is mostly famous for its wines. The vineyards are found along on a 60km narrow strip of terraces on the right bank of the River Saône. Beaujolais also produces many oils - not just olive oil, but pecan nut, almond and pine kernel oil. The Parc Naturel du Pilat, south of Lyons, offers stunning panoramic views across the Rhône Valley. The less explored Ardèche department is a great place for outdoor enthusiasts, especially walkers, cyclists and cannoeists. Here is a land of deep chestnut forests, where eagles nest in the cliffs of steep gorges sliced by the tributaries of the River Saône.

Unemployment in the Rhone-Alpes is lower than the national average while average salaries rank in the top three highest paid régions. The Rhône Valley is France's highest producing nuclear energy region and there are five nuclear power stations along the banks of the river.

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Rhône-Alpes Population

• Population: 5,645,407
• Pop.density (people per km2):129

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Properties for sale in the Ain
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Properties for sale in the Haute Savoie
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