View source for Montélimar

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{redirect|Montelimar}}
{{Expand French|topic=geo|date=May 2011|Montélimar}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name                   = Montélimar
|native name            = {{native name|oc|Montelaimar}}
|commune status         = [[Communes of France|Commune]]
|image                  = Mairie Montélimar 2011-09-22-025.jpg
|caption                = The [[Hôtel de Ville, Montélimar|Hôtel de Ville]]
|arrondissement         = Nyons
|canton                 = [[Canton of Montélimar-1|Montélimar-1]] and [[Canton of Montélimar-2|2]]
|image coat of arms     = Blason ville fr Montélimar (Drôme).svg
|INSEE                  = 26198
|postal code            = 26200
|mayor                  = Julien Cornillet<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=2 December 2020|language=fr}}</ref>
|term                   = 2020&ndash;2026
|party                  = 
|intercommunality       = [[Montélimar Agglomération]]
|coordinates            = {{coord|44.5581|4.7508|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m            = 81
|elevation min m        = 56
|elevation max m        = 213
|area km2               = 46.81
|population             = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
|urban pop              = 57372
|urban pop date         = 2018
|urban area km2         = 132.3
}}

'''Montélimar''' ({{IPA|fr|mɔ̃telimaʁ|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-Mecanautes-Montélimar.wav}}; [[Vivaro-Alpine dialect|Vivaro-Alpine]]: ''Montelaimar'' {{IPA|oc|muntelajˈma|pron}}; {{langx|la|Acumum}}) is a town in the [[Drôme]] [[Departments of France|department]] in the [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]] [[Regions of France|region]] in Southeastern [[France]]. It is the second-largest town in the department after [[Valence, Drôme|Valence]]. In 2018, the commune had a population of 39,415; its [[urban unit|urban area]] had a population of 57,372.<ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=UU2020-00553+COM-26198 Comparateur de territoire: Unité urbaine 2020 de Montélimar (00553)], INSEE</ref>

==History==
The site where the city of Montélimar stands today has been inhabited since the Celtic era. It was reconstructed during the [[Roman Empire|Roman reign]], including a [[basilica]], [[Roman aqueduct|aqueduct]]s, [[thermae]] and a [[Forum (Roman)|forum]]. The Adhémar family reigned over the city in the Middle Ages and built a castle ([[Château des Adhémar]]) which dominates the city silhouette even today. The [[Hôtel de Ville, Montélimar|Hôtel de Ville]] was officially opened in 1876.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ledauphine.com/culture-loisirs/2020/09/20/six-anecdotes-sur-l-hotel-de-ville|title=Six anecdotes sur l'hôtel de ville|date=20 September 2020|newspaper=Le Dauphiné libéré|access-date=4 August 2025}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|23337|Montélimar}}</ref> and INSEE (1968-2017)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-26198#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |6240
|1800 |6320
|1806 |5864
|1821 |7161
|1831 |7560
|1836 |7966
|1841 |8245
|1846 |9445
|1851 |9362
|1856 |11523
|1861 |12044
|1866 |11100
|1872 |11122
|1876 |11946
|1881 |12894
|1886 |14014
|1891 |13764
|1896 |13741
|1901 |13351
|1906 |13554
|1911 |13281
|1921 |11716
|1926 |11210
|1931 |13696
|1936 |15187
|1946 |15972
|1954 |16639
|1962 |19999
|1968 |26748
|1975 |28058
|1982 |29161
|1990 |29982
|1999 |31344
|2007 |34636
|2012 |35704
|2017 |39097
}}

== Personalities ==
* French navigator [[Louis de Freycinet]] and [[Émile Loubet]], President of France from 1899 till 1906, who served also as mayor of Montélimar. 
* [[Formula One]] racing driver [[Charles Pic]], brother and fellow racing driver [[Arthur Pic]] and motorcycle racer [[Sylvain Guintoli]].
* [[Encyclopédistes|Encyclopédiste]] [[Antoine Penchenier]] (died in 1761) at an unknown date.
* Physician and Encyclopédiste [[Jean-Joseph Menuret]] (1739–1815) was born in Montélimar
* [[Louis Deschamps (painter)|Louis Deschamps]] (1846 - 1902) was born in Montélimar
* Singer, writer, actress, TV host and fashion designer [[Marianne James]] was born in Montélimar in 1962.
* [[Michèle Rivasi]] (1953-2023), elected member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2023, was born in Montélimar.

==Economy==
{{see also|Nougat of Montélimar}}
The local nougat is one of the 13 desserts of Provence and highly appreciated throughout the country. Montelimar nougat is mentioned in the opening lines of the [[Beatles]]' "[[Savoy Truffle]]" from ''[[The Beatles (album)|The White Album]]''. Travellers used to buy ''nougat de Montélimar'' on their way to the south of France (or when returning) as the city is next to the [[Rhône]] and to the primary route [[Route nationale 7|N7]]. Since the construction of the [[A7 autoroute|A7]] [[Autoroutes of France|autoroute]], many nougat [[Factory|factories]] have been forced to close as tourists no longer stop in Montélimar but bypass it instead.

{{clear left}}

==Climate==
Montélimar has a [[humid subtropical climate]] (''Cfa'') according to the [[Köppen climate classification]].

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location =  Montélimar (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1920–present)
|Jan record high C = 19.3
|Feb record high C = 22.4
|Mar record high C = 26.4
|Apr record high C = 30.6
|May record high C = 34.0
|Jun record high C = 40.3
|Jul record high C = 40.0
|Aug record high C = 41.1
|Sep record high C = 36.2
|Oct record high C = 30.6
|Nov record high C = 26.4
|Dec record high C = 19.9
|Jan record low C = -14.4
|Feb record low C = -17.0
|Mar record low C = -7.4
|Apr record low C = -3.1
|May record low C = -1.8
|Jun record low C = 3.5
|Jul record low C = 7.5
|Aug record low C = 5.6
|Sep record low C = 0.5
|Oct record low C = -1.6
|Nov record low C = -10.0
|Dec record low C = -17.2
|Jan high C = 8.8
|Feb high C = 10.5
|Mar high C = 15.1
|Apr high C = 18.3
|May high C = 22.5
|Jun high C = 26.9
|Jul high C = 29.8
|Aug high C = 29.6
|Sep high C = 24.4
|Oct high C = 18.9
|Nov high C = 12.8
|Dec high C = 9.1
| year high C = 18.9
|Jan mean C = 5.7
|Feb mean C = 6.6
|Mar mean C = 10.2
|Apr mean C = 13.1
|May mean C = 17.1
|Jun mean C = 21.1
|Jul mean C = 23.7
|Aug mean C = 23.5
|Sep mean C = 19.2
|Oct mean C = 14.8
|Nov mean C = 9.5
|Dec mean C = 6.2
| year mean C = 14.2
|Jan low C = 2.6
|Feb low C = 2.7
|Mar low C = 5.3
|Apr low C = 7.8
|May low C = 11.6
|Jun low C = 15.4
|Jul low C = 17.6
|Aug low C = 17.4
|Sep low C = 13.9
|Oct low C = 10.7
|Nov low C = 6.3
|Dec low C = 3.4
| year low C = 9.6
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 68.7 
|Feb precipitation mm = 42.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 49.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 74.4
|May precipitation mm = 77.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 56.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 55.1
|Aug precipitation mm = 56.3
|Sep precipitation mm = 115.9
|Oct precipitation mm = 133.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 128.7
|Dec precipitation mm = 61.7
|year precipitation mm = 919.5
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 6.9
| Feb precipitation days = 5.3
| Mar precipitation days = 5.7
| Apr precipitation days = 7.7
| May precipitation days = 7.3
| Jun precipitation days = 5.5
| Jul precipitation days = 4.7
| Aug precipitation days = 4.9
| Sep precipitation days = 6.2
| Oct precipitation days = 8.2
| Nov precipitation days = 8.4
| Dec precipitation days = 6.8
| year precipitation days =77.5
|Jan humidity = 80
|Feb humidity = 76
|Mar humidity = 70
|Apr humidity = 68
|May humidity = 70
|Jun humidity = 67
|Jul humidity = 62
|Aug humidity = 65
|Sep humidity = 72
|Oct humidity = 80
|Nov humidity = 81
|Dec humidity = 81
|year humidity = 72.7
|Jan snow days = 2.3
|Feb snow days = 2.1
|Mar snow days = 0.9
|Apr snow days = 0.1
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.8
|Dec snow days = 2.4
|year snow days = 8.6
|Jan sun = 106.6
|Feb sun = 135.8
|Mar sun = 199.9
|Apr sun = 218.7
|May sun = 260.2
|Jun sun = 299.7
|Jul sun = 330.4
|Aug sun = 298.6
|Sep sun = 231.2
|Oct sun = 155.9
|Nov sun = 109.7
|Dec sun = 94.5
|year sun = 2441.1
|source 1 = Meteociel<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=26198001
|title=Normales et records pour Montélimar (26)
|publisher=Meteociel
|access-date=14 December 2024}}</ref>
|source 2 = Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days, 1961–1990)<ref name=Infoclimat>{{cite web
| url = http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07577-montelimar-ancone.html
| title = Normes et records 1961-1990: Montélimar - Ancone (26) - altitude 73m
| language = fr
| publisher = Infoclimat
| access-date = December 26, 2015}}</ref>
|date= December 2015
}}

==International relations==
Montélimar is [[twin towns|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Jumelage|url=https://www.montelimar.fr/vivre-montelimar/ma-ville/jumelage|website=montelimar.fr|publisher=Montélimar|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-19}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Mollet del Vallès]], Spain
*{{flagicon|TUN}} [[Nabeul]], Tunisia
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Racine, Wisconsin|Racine]], United States
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Ravensburg]], Germany
*{{flagicon|WAL}} [[Rhondda Cynon Taf]], Wales, United Kingdom
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Rivoli, Piedmont|Rivoli]], Italy
*{{flagicon|ARM}} [[Sisian]], Armenia
{{div col end}}

==See also==
*[[Communes of the Drôme department]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Montélimar}}
*[http://www.montelimar.fr/ Official website]
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Montélimar|short=x}}

{{Drôme communes}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montelimar}}
[[Category:Montélimar| ]]
[[Category:Communes of Drôme]]
[[Category:Dauphiné]]
[[Category:Drôme communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Rhône]]
[[Category:Populated riverside places in France]]