Complex sentence: In the latter half of the 20th century the population has dropped from nearly 1,000 to about 500 (although in recent years it has picked up again) this has a lot to do with the Autoroute, which passes just north of the village.
Split into simpler sentences: In the latter half of the 20th century the population has dropped from nearly 1,000 to about 500 (although in recent years it has picked up again). This has a lot to do with the Autoroute which passes just north of the village.