Jaunay Clan, Vienne

Description:

Geography and Transport

Jaunay Clan is a town situated to the north of the regional capital Poitiers.  The commune area is 27.48km², with an average altitude of 61m to 125m.  The town is on the N10 (D910) between Poitiers (13km) and Chatellerault (22km), and also has access to the A10 motorway.  There is a TER rail link here, and along at Futuroscope is a TGV station, which can take you to Paris (Montparnasse) in 1h25mins.  The nearest commercial airport is Poitiers Biard (14km) which offers year-round flights to the UK (although services are reduced in winter).  The town is part of the Agglomeration of Poitiers (Greater Poitiers).
See also:  Poitiers

Climate

The climate in Jaunay Clan is driven by the Atlantic Ocean.  Average summer temperatures are between 23C and 26C (11C to 13C low), and in winter this drops to 8C to 9C (2C to 3C low).  The wettest month is normally October with 54mm, and the driest is March with 26mm.  Jaunay Clan is part of a zone that receives more than 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

Jaunay Clan is probably best known as being the home of Futuroscope, the hi-tech theme park based on cinema and the moving image.  Opened in 1987 and covering over 60ha, the park is the top visitor attraction in Poitou Charentes, and the second most visited theme park in France, with over 32 million visitors since it opened, and a record 1.6m visitors in 2007.  The town is also home to the Chateau-Couvert, a 16^th century Renaissance castle, which houses the Espace d'Art Contemporain, offering both permanent (Danielle Grimaldi and Pierre Magre), as well as temporary exhibitions.   The Chateau is also open to visitors, and there are guided tours on offer.  10km away is the Lac de St Cyr, a 300ha leisure facility which has a beach offering a variety of beach-sports, a water slide, sailing and canoeing, as well as camping and golf facilities.  17km away at Vouneuil is the Pinail Nature Reserve, covering 135ha at the north of the Forest of Mouliere.  This site has thousands of ponds created by stone extraction, which have become home to many protected species of plants, insects and animals.

The town has a varied programme of events on offer throughout the year.

Facilities

The proximity to Poitiers means that Jaunay Clan has easy access to all the facilities of the regional capital, with large superstores and a number of out-of-town shopping areas.  The town itself has a modest set of facilities, and the nearest swimming pool (indoor) is 11km away at Buxerolles. 

Economy

Jaunay Clan is part of the Poitiers economic zone which has an unemployment rate of 7.9%, compared against the regional rate of 8.6% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).  Biggest companies here are Centre Ouest Cereals (cattle feed producers), Futuroscope (theme park) and Poitouraine (a dairy company.  

Education

Jaunay Clan has a state nursery school, 4 primary schools, a secondary school (College), and a college (Lycee).  There are private options at primary and secondary levels, and the town is also home to the Institute of Communications and New Technologies (ICOMTEC), part of the University of Poitiers.

Key Stats

93.1% of properties here are classed as primary residences, with 1.9% classed as second homes.  There are the same number of females as males resident here (50% vs 50%). There are fewer people aged 60 or over than the national average (17.6% vs 21.3%), and there are also fewer retired people here (16% vs 18.2%).  23.7% of the population are below the age of 19.

Key Facilities and Services: