Labège

Labège
Coat of arms
Location of Labège
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Haute-Garonne
Arrondissement	Arrondissement of Toulouse
Canton	Canton of Castanet-Tolosan
Intercommunality	Sicoval
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Christian Lavigne
Area 1	7.65 km2 (2.95 sq mi)
Population  (2007)	3,493
• Density	460/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	31254 /31670
Elevation	141–202 m (463–663 ft) (avg. 156 m or 512 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Labège is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department and the Midi-Pyrénées region of south-western France.

Coat of arms

Blazon: Or, two pallets sable.

Geography

A commune in the metropolitan area of Toulouse. Its urban core is located in the southeast suburbs of Toulouse along the Autoroute des Deux Mers (A61) towards Narbonne. The adjoining communes are Saint-Orens-de-Gameville, Auzielle, Escalquens, Castanet-Tolosan, Auzeville-Tolosane and Ramonville-Saint-Agne.

History

There are two theories about the origin of Labège. The name of the commune might come from La Berge ("The Bank") because of the village having been built on the banks of the Hers-Mort. Another origin is the name of an abbey that was located in the commune in the Middle Ages.

Some Roman remains can be seen in Labège. But no village existed on this site. It was a thoroughfare between Baziège and Toulouse. Even in the Middle Ages, the settlement was scattered. In the fourteenth century, a Labège manor was mentioned in contemporary documents. At that time it belonged to the College of Saint Front de Perigord, which remained its owner for four centuries. The village took shape around the church from the end of the Renaissance.

Since 1960 Labège has hosted numerous offices and laboratories at the Labège-Innopole development.

Administration

List of successive mayors:

• Christian Lavigne (March 2008 – 2014) Socialist Party
• Claude Ducert (March 2001 – March 2008) Socialist Party
• curé Druilhe (28 February 1790 – 26 June 1790)

The commune is part of the third constituency of Haute-Garonne.

Demographics

Historical population of Labège
(Source: INSEE)

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2007
Population	585	683	1403	1628	2148	3152	3493

Economy

The commune is made up of two completely different districts. To the northwest towards Toulouse is Labège Innopole, the economic center of the commune with shopping malls (Labège 2 Crossroads shopping centre), a Gaumont movie theatre, restaurants and many businesses including Sanofi-Aventis. To the southeast is Labège Village, the residential area with its day-care, its gymnasium, its local shops and most of its residents, as well as the largest pétanque club in the region. These two districts are separated by a green belt.

Sites and Monuments

• Place Saint-Barthélémy with its mansion, its sundial, its café and its imposing fountain sculpture; from the square, leave the Rue Baratou towards Castanet, the Rue de la Mairie and the Rue de l'Ancien Château, which passes in front of the church and encircles the rest of the old village.
• The fountains of Saint-Sernin and Laurier are known for their healing waters. According to legend, St. Sernin stopped at Labège and gave the fountain of Saint-Sernin the power to heal.
• The nineteenth century Church of Saint-Barthélémy. Mention is made of an earlier church in 1232. Several churches burned down and were rebuilt, notably the second of 1518-1570, destroyed by the Huguenots.
• The pigeonnier du Bouysset, dating from the eighteenth century: registered as an historic monument since 11 July 1977.
• The Maison Salvan.
• The largest pétanque club with the best players in the area.
• The war memorial near the cemetery.

Personalities connected to the commune

On February 28, 1790, the priest Druilhe was elected the first mayor of Labège. (Taken from Labège au siècle des lumières by Françoise Salome).

See also

Communes of the Haute-Garonne department