Mirambeau, Charente Maritime

Description:

Goegraphy and Transport

Mirambeau is a market town in the south of the Charente Maritime Department, chief town of the Mirambeau Canton, within the Haute Saintonge area.  The town is close to the Gironde Estuary, and is situated to the south west of Jonzac.  The commune covers an area of 26.94km².  There is no rail link in the town, but Jonzac (15km) has access to the TER regional network.  The N137 and A10 pass to the west of the town giving access north to Saintes, Rochefort and La Rochelle.  The closest airport is at Bordeaux, but La Rochelle is also an option for flights to the UK.  Mirambeau is situated in part of the Fins Bois zone of the Cognac appellation.
See also:  Jonzac

Climate

The maritime climate here keeps summers warm and winters temperate.  Average summer temperatures are between 24C to 27C (13C to 15C night), and in winter this drops to 9C to 11C (3C to 4C night).  September can be warm, with an average of 22C (12C night).  Wettest months are Oct and Nov (54mm to 57mm), and the driest months are July and Aug (32mm).   Mirambeau is within an area that receives over 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

Mirambeau is situated close to the Gironde Estuary, where you can visit the Vitrezay nature reserve.  As well as being a stopping-off point for many species of migrating birds, Vitrezay is a small picturesque port, where visitors can take a boat trip, hire a kayak, or explore on foot.  The Eglise de Petit-Niort (parish church) in Mirambeau originally dates back to 1040, but was re-built in the 12^th century, and extended in later years, notably with the addition of a bell-tower in 1631 (the bronze bell is itself a protected monument). 

Facilities

Activities available around Mirambeau include horse-riding, golf and there is an Olympic sized swimming pool here.  The town has a chateau (Renaissance architecture) which is privately owned and operates as a 4 star hotel, situated in parkland.

Economy

The biggest company located around Mirambeau is Agat et Fils (a storage company).  Mirambeau is part of the Sud Charente economic zone which has an unemployment rate of 8.8%, compared against the regional rate of 8.6% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006). 

Education

The town has a state Nursery , Primary and Secondary School, but for College (Lycee) level  Jonzac is 15km away.  There is a private college at Saint Genis de Saintonge (12km).

Key Stats

Most of the properties in Mirambeau are main residences 83.8%, and 7.2% of properties are classed as second homes.  There are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (29.4% vs 21.3%), and the number of retired people is also higher (24.2% vs 18.2%).  22.8% of the local population are under 19 years of age.  There are fewer males than females resident here (48.7% vs 51.3%).

Key Facilities and Services: