- Orville, Pas-de-Calais
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Orville
OrvilleLocation within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region
OrvilleAdministration Country France Region Nord-Pas-de-Calais Department Pas-de-Calais Arrondissement Arras Canton Pas-en-Artois Intercommunality Deux Sources Mayor Yves Debureaux
(2008–2014)Statistics Elevation 64–148 m (210–486 ft)
(avg. 70 m/230 ft)Land area1 11.95 km2 (4.61 sq mi) Population2 336 (2006) - Density 28 /km2 (73 /sq mi) INSEE/Postal code 62640/ 62760 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. Coordinates: 50°08′04″N 2°24′45″E / 50.1344444444°N 2.4125°E
Orville is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.
Contents
Geography
Orville is situated 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Arras, at the junction of the D24 and D938 roads, by the banks of the river Authie, on the border with the department of the Somme.
History
In the early 20th century, the village of Orville was home to more than a thousand people, among them more than 500 Belgian workers who had been attracted by the presence of phosphate mines. The discovery of phosphates could be compared at the time to the gold rush of America's far-west. There were up to 30 quarries extracting the phosphate-rich sand. The phosphate mines that had been discovered in 1887 were in use until the beginning of the 20th century, when richer and cheaper Moroccan and Tunisian imports became available. Extraction of sand for building and other use was still operating in the 1970s. The present name of this site is "the buttes of Orville" and is currently used as an international renowned clay pigeon shooting ground.
Population
Population history 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 411 409 318 277 325 325 336 Census count starting from 1962: Population without duplicates Places of interest
- The church of St.Martin, dating from the nineteenth century.
- The watermill on the river Authie.
- Two 18th-century farmhouses.
- Dovecotes.
See also
References
External links
- Orville on the Quid website (French)
Categories:- Communes of Pas-de-Calais
- Arras arrondissement geography stubs
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