# Arpajon-sur-Cère

Arpajon-sur-Cère (French pronunciation:, literally Arpajon on Cère; Occitan: Arpajon de Cera or just Arpajon) is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region of south-central France.

## Geography

Arpajon-sur-Cère is located immediately to the south of Aurillac some 70 km south-east of Brive-la-Gaillarde. The town is an extension of the urban area of Aurillac. Access to the commune is by the D920 from Aurillac which continues south to Lafeuillade-en-Vézie. The D990 also goes from south of the town to Vézac in the east. The D58 comes from Giou-de-Mamou in the north-east then goes south-west from the town to the Château de Conros and joins the D617 at the south-western border of the commune. Much of the runway of Aurillac – Tronquières Airport is in the commune. A railway passes through the north of the commune but the nearest station is in Aurillac. Apart from the town there are the villages and hamlets of:
* Carbonnat
* Esmoles
* Le Pont
* Roquetorte
* Douarat
* Le Bousquet
* Crespiat
* Le Cambon
* Le Sal
* Les Granges
* Lapeyrusse
* Carsac
* Combelles
* Senilhes
* Les Quatre Routes
* Toules
Outside the residential areas there are extensive forests in the south and south-west with the rest of the commune farmland.
The Jordanne river flows from Aurillac to join the Cère just south-west of the town with the Cère continuing west to eventually join the Dordogne at Girac.

### Neighbouring communes and villages

vtePlaces adjacent to Arpajon-sur-Cère :
Ytrac
Aurillac
Giou-de-Mamou
Sansac-de-Marmiesse
Arpajon-sur-Cère
Vézac
Roannes-Saint-Mary
Prunet
Labrousse :

## Toponymy

The name Arpjon originates from the Gallic word Arpaionem which is composed of the word arepo meaning "plough". It was attested in 923 in the form: vicaria arpajonensis. In Carladézien dialect, Arpajon is pronounced Olpotsou, according to a recording there in 2007.

## History

The Dejou Féniès & son and Lartigue companies were established in the commune in the 20th century manufacturing wood especially Jouets Dejou (Dejou Toys) which are highly sought after by Doll collectors.

### Heraldry

| Arms of Arpajon-sur-Cère | Blazon: Azure, a bend of Or, between 6 escallops set in orle. |

## Administration

List of Successive Mayors
| From | To | Name | Party |
| 1977 | 2014 | Roger Destannes | PS |
| 2014 | 2020 | Michel Roussy | |
| 2020 | 2026 | Isabelle Lantuejoul | |

### Twinning

Arpajon-sur-Cère has twinning associations with:
* Blyth (United Kingdom) since 1990.
* Bougouni (Mali).

## Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arpajonnais or Arpajonnaises in French.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1793 | 1,836 | — |
| 1800 | 1,728 | −0.86% |
| 1806 | 2,064 | +3.01% |
| 1821 | 2,043 | −0.07% |
| 1831 | 2,234 | +0.90% |
| 1836 | 2,292 | +0.51% |
| 1841 | 2,331 | +0.34% |
| 1846 | 2,350 | +0.16% |
| 1851 | 2,271 | −0.68% |
| 1856 | 2,272 | +0.01% |
| 1861 | 2,278 | +0.05% |
| 1866 | 2,225 | −0.47% |
| 1872 | 2,106 | −0.91% |
| 1876 | 2,228 | +1.42% |
| 1881 | 2,268 | +0.36% |
| 1886 | 2,242 | −0.23% |
| 1891 | 2,268 | +0.23% |
| 1896 | 2,354 | +0.75% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1901 | 2,457 | +0.86% |
| 1906 | 2,450 | −0.06% |
| 1911 | 2,579 | +1.03% |
| 1921 | 2,332 | −1.00% |
| 1926 | 2,412 | +0.68% |
| 1931 | 2,467 | +0.45% |
| 1936 | 2,576 | +0.87% |
| 1946 | 2,824 | +0.92% |
| 1954 | 2,891 | +0.29% |
| 1962 | 3,071 | +0.76% |
| 1968 | 3,277 | +1.09% |
| 1975 | 4,260 | +3.82% |
| 1982 | 4,866 | +1.92% |
| 1990 | 5,296 | +1.06% |
| 1999 | 5,545 | +0.51% |
| 2007 | 5,924 | +0.83% |
| 2012 | 6,192 | +0.89% |
| 2017 | 6,217 | +0.08% |
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. :
Source: EHESS and INSEE :

## Sites and Monuments

The commune has several sites and buildings that are registered as historical monuments:
* The Birthplace of Général Milhaud at 1 Avenue du Général-Milhaud (1753)
* The old Pont-de-Mamou Mill on Rue Jean-Jaurès (1772)
* The Château de Conros (15th century)
* The Château de Conros Park
* The Château de Carbonat Park
* The Château de Limagne Garden

### Other sites of interest

* Barrière hamlet where Louis Laparra de Fieux was born.
* The Cabrières bridge, a hamlet and a bridge which once had a toll.
* The Chateau de Ganhac currently a mansion house, a former fief awarded in 1676 to Charles de Broquin who was married to Jeanne de Cambefort.
* The Château de Montal, a former fief whose family was originally the Lords of Laroquebrou and Conros, with a castrale chapel under the invocation of Saint Michael. It then became the property of the La Roque-Montal family.
* The Chateau de La Prade, purchased in 1756 by Marie-Françoise de Broglie, the widow of Charles Robert de Lignerac who did considerable work on the building. Ruined in the French Revolution.
* The Arboretum d'Arpajon-sur-Cère
* The Parish Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
** 2 Bronze Bells (1781)
** A Painting: The Placing in the Tomb (16th century)
** A framed Painting: The Baptism of Christ (17th century)
** A Sarcophagus (Middle Ages)

### The Chateau de Carbonat Picture Gallery

* The Chateau front
* The Gardens
* The Gardens
* An old postcard of the chateau
* An old postcard of the chateau
* The chateau in ruins
* The fireplace in the chateau
* A detail on the fireplace
* A filled-in embrasure in the chateau
* Arms of Carbonat
* A door in the chateau

## Notable people linked to the commune

* Jacques de Milly, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
* Louis Laparra de Fieux (Arpajon 1651-1706), engineer of fortifications and strategist.
* Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud (Arpajon 1766 - Aurillac 1833), member of the National Convention, General, Count of the Empire.
* Eugene d'Humières, man of letters, translator of Kipling.
* Louis Dauzier, politician and mayor of Aurillac under the French Third Republic.
* Antoine Dusserre (Carbonnat 1865-1925), novelist.
* Léo Pons, filmmaker.