Annemasse

Annemasse
Annemasse
	An aerial view of Annemasse
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location of Annemasse
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Haute-Savoie
Arrondissement	Saint-Julien-en-Genevois
Canton	Annemasse-Sud and Annemasse-Nord
Intercommunality	Annemasse – Les Voirons
Government
• Mayor (2014-2020)	Christian Dupessay
Area 1	4.98 km2 (1.92 sq mi)
Population (2012)	33,166
• Density	6,700/km2 (17,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	74012 /74100
Elevation	399–504 m (1,309–1,654 ft) ; (avg. 433 m or 1,421 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Annemasse (French pronunciation: [anmas]) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is a chef-lieu de canton and part of a transborder agglomeration known as Grand Genève.

It lies on the border with Switzerland, approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east of Geneva. It is the second largest city in the Haute-Savoie department with a population estimated at 33,166 in 2012.^[1]

Geography

Annemasse is part of the metropolitan area of Geneva, 2 km from the Swiss border, and 45 km from Annecy, the prefecture of the department. The city is surrounded by the Mont Salève (alt. 1300m) and the Arve River on the West, the Voirons (alt. 1450m) on the East and the Swiss border on the North.

The climate is temperate with influences from the Alps and the Leman Lake. The coldest months are January and February, and the hottest are in July and August. There is an annual average of 80 days with below zero temperatures. The minimum average is -1 °C and the maximum average is 26 °C. Annual rain is 975,7 mm with 118 rainy days a year.

Economy

The main activity is commerce: due to the current foreign exchange situation, a lot of Swiss residents come to Annemasse to purchase food and other commodities. A large proportion of the population work in Geneva, Switzerland, where the salaries are higher than in France.

Companies

Annemasse has 1,898 company locations on its territory, a large share of it being shops and services. The three main companies operating in Annemasse are Parker Hannifin (turnover: €134 million), Siegwerk (107 M €) and the Giant Casino Annemasse (17 M €, enlarged in 2003).

Transport

Annemasse is an important crossroad. It is the last exit of the French motorway A40 before the border and is thus well connected with the other cities of the region. It is also connected to Annecy via motorway A41.

Local transport is done with 6 bus lines by the TP2A company (Transports publics de l'Agglomération d'Annemasse). A tram is under construction to the Swiss border, schduled to be open in 2016.

Annemasse has had a railway station since 1880. It is the second most important station of the department with 2,000 passengers a day. To encourage mobility, the CEVA project will extend the existing rail connection between Annemasse and Gare de Cornavin through Genève Eaux-Vives.

Annemasse also has a small airport for small tourist and business planes.

Administration

The urban area of Annemasse (consisting of six cities or "communes") is the second largest agglomération in Haute-Savoie.

The city mayor 1977 - 2008 was Robert Borrel from the Socialist Party. Christian Dupessay (PS) was elected mayor in the 2008 elections following Borrel's retirement, and elected again in 2014.

Education

Annemasse has many schools.

Kindergartens

Bois-Livron, Marianne-Cohn, Jean-Mermoz, La Fontaine, Les Hutins, Saint-Exupéry

Primary schools

Public schools: Bois-Livron, Marianne-Cohn, Jean-Mermoz, La Fontaine, Les Hutins, Saint-Exupéry
Privates schools: Chamarette, Saint-François

Secondary schools

Michel-Servet, Jacques Prévert

High secondary schools

General education: Les Glières (Formation tertiaire BTS intégré)
General and technical education: Jean-Monnet
Professional education: Le Salève

Other schools

The Beaux Arts School

Religion

Annemasse has several religious places. There are two catholic churches: Saint-André and Saint-Joseph, one synagogue, two muslim religious organisations, and several protestant churches.