The rivers, including the Rhône, regularly overflowed their banks, leaving behind a swampy area. The first verifiable mention of the village of Vaulx-en-Velin comes from the year 1225. The place was not spared from wars either. In 1628 the plague raged in the village.
Many people suffered from malaria - the field name "En Palud" testifies to this. A dike was built between 1863 and 1879 to dry out around 9,000 hectares of land. The Saint Jean Villeurbanne dam, built between 1879 and 1882, protects Vaulx-en-Velin from flooding.
In September 1979 the first Banlieue suburban youth riots in France broke out in the Cité Olivier-de-Serres in Vaulx-en-Velin.[3]
One third of the population lives below the poverty line.[4]
On 16 December 2022, a large fire broke out in a seven-storey apartment building, killing ten people, including five children, and injuring 14.[5]
Population
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1793
762
—
1800
961
+3.37%
1806
986
+0.43%
1821
1,045
+0.39%
1831
1,125
+0.74%
1836
1,170
+0.79%
1841
1,182
+0.20%
1846
1,233
+0.85%
1851
1,287
+0.86%
1856
1,263
−0.38%
1861
1,340
+1.19%
1866
1,260
−1.22%
1872
1,238
−0.29%
1876
1,245
+0.14%
1881
1,258
+0.21%
1886
1,251
−0.11%
1891
1,270
+0.30%
1896
1,314
+0.68%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1901
1,251
−0.98%
1906
1,235
−0.26%
1911
1,315
+1.26%
1921
1,588
+1.90%
1926
3,745
+18.72%
1931
8,124
+16.75%
1936
7,386
−1.89%
1946
7,821
+0.57%
1954
9,630
+2.64%
1962
12,118
+2.91%
1968
20,726
+9.36%
1975
37,866
+8.99%
1982
44,160
+2.22%
1990
44,174
+0.00%
1999
39,154
−1.33%
2007
40,626
+0.46%
2012
43,394
+1.33%
2017
49,658
+2.73%
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^"Conseillers municipaux". Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved 2014-05-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)