Tonnay Charente, Charente Maritime

Description:

Geography and Transport

Tonnay Charente is a town situated 8km east of Rochefort on the Charente River (altitude 1m to 32m).  The commune covers an area of 34.39km².   The town is reached via the D739 from Rochefort, and to the north of the town is the A837 motorway taking traffic south and east towards the A10 and Saintes (37km).  Also north of the town is the N137 which takes traffic north and west to La Rochelle (44km).  The town has a rail link (TER) and this can connect with the TGV at La Rochelle (or Surgeres (23km)), enabling access to Paris (Montparnasse) in just over 3 hours.  La Rochelle airport offers a variety of routes to the UK, with a number of different budget airlines.  Rochefort (St Agnant) airport was used for a time by budget airlines in 2004/5, while La Rochelle was undergoing construction work, but there are now no commercial flights available from here.
See also:  Rochefort

Climate

The maritime climate brings warm summers, and moderate winters.  Average summer temperatures are 22C to 25C (14C to 17C night), and in winter this drops to 9C to 10C (4c to 5C night).  September and May are warm, with averages of 22C (12C) and 19C (14C) respectively.  Wettest months are Oct and Nov with 62mm to 66mm, whilst the driest are June (24mm) and Aug (29mm).  Tonnay Charente is within an area that receives over 2000 hours of sunshine per year. 

Tourism

Tonnay Charente is notable for its 623m suspension bridge built in 1842.  The bridge subsided some years after opening, and was re-opened in 1885 after reinforcement works.  Since the 13^th century, Tonnay Charente has been a small commercial port.  The small tidal river port mainly handles cerial and sand, and is managed jointly with the larger port at Rochefort by the Port de Commerce Rochefort Tonnay-Charente.

The proximity of Tonnay sur Charente to Rochefort means that there is easy access to the attractions and events in the town.  Of note is the impressive Royal Corderie (17^th century rope-works), and a huge number of museums and attractions.  To the north of Rochefort is La Cabane de Moins nature reserve, where guided tours are available by boat, to see the various species of birds that inhabit the area.

Facilities

The town has a tennis club, amateur theatre club and a running club to mention just a few of the activities available here.  Tonnay is just a short distance from sandy beaches at Fouras (21km) and the huge variety of beaches further south on the Arvert Peninsula, around La Tremblade and La Palmyre (Cote Sauvage).

Economy

The biggest companies listed in the area are Poteries Grandon (Garden Pot Manufacturers), and Glass Eel France (commercial fish company).  Tonnay Charente is part of the Saintonge Maritime economic zone which has an unemployment rate of 11.4%, compared against the regional rate of 8.6% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006). 

Education

There is a state nursery school (plus 1 private), a state primary school (plus 1 private), and a state secondary school (plus one private).  For colleges (Lycee) Rochefort is the nearest option at 9km.

Key Stats

Most of the properties in Tonnay Charente are main residences 93.4%, with (1.7%) classed as second homes.  There are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (24.5% vs 21.3%), and the number of retired people is also higher (20.8% vs 18.2%).  25.4% of the local population are under 19 years of age.  There are fewer males than females resident here (49.4% vs 50.6%).

Key Facilities and Services: