Echire, Deux Sevres

Description:

Geography and Transport Links

Echire is a small town situated to the north of Niort (commune area 30.96km2), in the department of Deux Sevres.  The main route into Echire is the D743 from Niort which heads north to Parthenay (34km).  The A10 Motorway passes to the south and west, carrying traffic between Saintes (96km) and Poitiers (78km).  The A83 passes by the north of the town, towards Nantes (151km).  Whilst there is no rail link here, there are both TGV and TER services available from Niort (12km).  You can reach Paris (Montparnasse) in 2h20mins.  The nearest commercial airport is Poitiers Biard offering seasonal services to the UK.  La Rochelle has a wider range of flights available all year and is 80km away.
See also:  Niort

Climate

Climate here is driven by the Atlantic Ocean, and is therefore temperate year-round.  Average summer temperatures are 24C to 27C (13C to 15C low), and in winter this drops to 9C to 10C (3C to 4C low).  Wettest months are Oct, Nov and Dec (94mm), whilst June is the driest month with 39mm.  Echire is within an area that receives over 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism and Facilities

Echire is famous the world over for its AOC butter, produced by a cooperative in the commune area.  There is a chateau nearby that is undergoing restoration, but which can be visited.  The 13^th century Forteresse du Coudray-Salbart is 2km north of the town.  The close proximity of the town to Niort means there are many tourist attractions and facilities within easy reach.

Economy

Echire is part of the Sud Deux Sevres economic zone, which has an unemployment rate of 7.1%, compared against the regional rate of 8.6% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).

Education

There is 1 state nursery in the town, and a state primary school can be found in nearby Charay (5km).  For secondary schools and college (Lycee) the nearest options are at Niort (12km).

Key Stats

Most of the properties in Echire are main residences 93.8%, and 2.2% of properties are classed as second homes.  There are less people aged 60 or over than the national average (20.1% vs 21.3%), and the number of retired people is also lower (17.9% vs 18.2%).  24.6% of the local population are under 19 years of age this is the same as the national average.  There are fewer females than males resident here (49.9% vs 50.1%).

Key Facilities and Services: