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A tragedy occurred in the town in the early evening of March 25, 1818, when a cracked 6,000 pound (2721 kg) bell being removed from a belfry came crashing down, killing approximately 25 onlookers. Workers who remained hanging from collapsed steeple were able to be rescued.[4][5][6][7]
In the 1950s the commune had about 5,000 residents but it urbanized from 1950 to 1974. As of 2007 the commune had 26,000 people.[8]
In 2007 the mayor at the time, François Pupponi, stated that the city became a "social ghetto" suffered from planning errors made in the 1950s, as the community did not gain the businesses necessary to support the population.[8] Jean-Louis Marsac, the first deputy mayor, stated that the commune grew without gaining the proper infrastructure.[8]
On the night of 25 November 2007, gangs attacked a police station in Villiers-le-Bel, torched cars, and vandalized stores. The violence was prompted by the deaths of two adolescents after a crash between their motorbike and a police patrol car at an intersection. The disturbances spread to neighbouring towns on the night of 26 November. 82 police officers were injured, four of them seriously, by shotgun blasts.[9][10]
Transport
The Paris Métro, RER, serves through the Villiers-le-Bel - Gonesse - Arnouville station on Paris RER line D. However, this station is located in the neighboring commune of Arnouville-lès-Gonesse, 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from the town center of Villiers-le-Bel.
Population
As of 2017[update] 47% of the commune's population was under the age of 30.[11]
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1793
1,633
—
1800
1,350
−2.68%
1806
1,325
−0.31%
1821
1,178
−0.78%
1831
1,209
+0.26%
1836
1,322
+1.80%
1841
1,883
+7.33%
1846
1,979
+1.00%
1851
1,934
−0.46%
1856
1,951
+0.18%
1861
2,132
+1.79%
1866
2,107
−0.24%
1872
1,735
−3.19%
1876
1,968
+3.20%
1881
2,016
+0.48%
1886
1,968
−0.48%
1891
1,649
−3.48%
1896
1,644
−0.06%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1901
1,723
+0.94%
1906
1,718
−0.06%
1911
1,845
+1.44%
1921
2,377
+2.57%
1926
3,324
+6.94%
1931
4,389
+5.72%
1936
4,351
−0.17%
1946
4,209
−0.33%
1954
4,852
+1.79%
1962
12,797
+12.89%
1968
19,119
+6.92%
1975
21,876
+1.94%
1982
24,808
+1.81%
1990
26,110
+0.64%
1999
26,145
+0.01%
2007
27,091
+0.45%
2012
27,496
+0.30%
2017
27,676
+0.13%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
As of 2007[update]Charles de Gaulle International Airport is the primary employer of the area. Within Villiers-le-Bel itself the largest employers were the Charles-Richet Hospital, the Flopak conditioning company, Gilson medical material company, and public services.[8]
Education
The commune has 30 educational institutions, including 11 preschools and 11 elementary schools along with four junior high schools and a vocational high school.[13] As of 2007[update] the commune does not have its own general high school/sixth-form college.[8]
Two nearby senior high schools are in Sarcelles, Lycée la tourelle and Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau.[13] Students attending general high school studies go to J. J. Rousseau.[8]
^ abcdefTernisien, Xavier (2007-11-29). "Villiers-le-Bel, radioscopie d'un "ghetto social"". Le Monde. Archived from the original on 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2016-09-09.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) () ""Nous avons grandi à la vitesse d'une ville nouvelle, souligne Jean-Louis Marsac (PS), premier adjoint au maire." and "Pour François Pupponi, maire (PS) de Sarcelles,[...] privait la commune de taxe professionnelle.""