Balan
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Few services 33/100 · confidence: medium· Better served than 8 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Balan (INSEE 01027) is in Ain (01), part of CC de la Côtière à Montluel. Population 3,077 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Bourgs ruraux (level 5). [2]
Data vintages: INSEE BPE 2025 · INSEE SIRENE 2026-09 · INSEE census (RP) 2023 · INSEE COG 2026 · INSEE density grid 2026 · Commune website 2026-10-24 · DATAtourisme 2026-10-22.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/01027-balan
Vitality score
Vitality score 33/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: medium (sources disagree on Restaurant).
Better served than 8 % of the 6,985 communes of a similar size.
Compare this with communes of a similar size. The score measures how well a place is served relative to its own size band, and larger communes score higher as a rule — so it reads meaningfully against another village, and misleadingly against a town.
Measured but not scored in this model: Market. See the methodology for why.
| Component | Value (0–1) | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily food | 0.2 | 25 | 5.12 |
| Social | 0.26 | 20 | 5.28 |
| Education | 0.22 | 10 | 2.21 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.11 | 5 | 0.55 |
| Population trend | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Housing mix | 0.97 | 5 | 4.86 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Butcher (boucherie) (PEGUET DISTRIBUTION). [3,4]
2 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (L'EMBALANT · SPAR). [3,4]
3 × Restaurant (BRASSERIE KAKO · BOS · AU VIEUX FOUR). [3,4]
1 × Nursery school (maternelle) (ECOLE MATERNELLE LES LILAS). [3]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE L'OREE DU BOIS). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE BALAN). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (COMPLEXE SPORTIF). [3]
3 × Hairdresser (MELISSA COIFFURE · LE TEMPS D'UNE COUPE · H.C HAIR). [3,4]
1 × Fuel station (STATION SERVICE). [3]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette), 1 × Restaurant.
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Supermarket, Café / bar, GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy, Post office / agence postale. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 1 | PEGUET DISTRIBUTION | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 2 | L'EMBALANT · SPAR | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Supermarket | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Cheese shop (fromagerie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Fishmonger | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Restaurant | 3 | BRASSERIE KAKO · BOS · AU VIEUX FOUR | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 8 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 1 | ECOLE MATERNELLE LES LILAS | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE L'OREE DU BOIS | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Pharmacy | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE BALAN | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | COMPLEXE SPORTIF | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 3 | MELISSA COIFFURE · LE TEMPS D'UNE COUPE · H.C HAIR | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 1 | STATION SERVICE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] |
Market and village life
Monthly market (reported, unverified): Sunday. See the source for which week of the month. [5]
Trajectory
Population 2,785 (2012) → 3,077 (2023): 10.5 % over 10 years. [6,1]
Population 1,668 (1990) → 3,077 (2023): 84.5 % over 30 years. [7,1]
Dwellings (2023): 804, of which 1.4 % second homes and 5.2 % vacant. [8]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Dagneux): 2.6 km to the north-west (straight line). [9]
Food shop (Balan): 0 km to the north-west (straight line). [10]
GP (Dagneux): 2.5 km to the north-west (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Dagneux): 2.6 km to the north-west (straight line). [9]
Primary school (Balan): 0.3 km to the north (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 46 days a year at or above 30 °C and 67 days at or below 0 °C, over 25 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the LOYETTES weather station, 11.4 km away at 198 m; the village itself is at 188 m. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 3 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at BALAN_AERO, 0.8 km away at 196 m, over 10 summers. [11]
An average of 908 mm of rain a year, spread over 111 days — about 8.2 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at BALAN, 0.8 km away at 184 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
What property sold for
76 houses sold between 2021 and 2025, at a median of 321,000 € — 3,271 € per m² of built surface. [12]
29 flats sold over the same window, at a median of 144,000 € — 2,234 € per m². [12]
The median across Ain is 2,288 € per m², so this commune sits above it. [12]
These are recorded sale prices, not valuations or asking prices, and a median over five years spans five different markets. Built surface excludes land, which carries much of a rural property's value.
Uncertainties
sources disagree on Restaurant
The market day comes from DATAtourisme and has not been confirmed by a second source. [5]
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01027/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- DATAtourisme 2026-04— https://data.datatourisme.fr/13/86eb7244-14f1-3f60-a372-b14ffab0d658— “Marché de Balan (le 1er dimanche du mois).”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01027/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01027/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01027/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 01142
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 01027
- Météo-France daily climatology 1995-2024
- DVF (DGFiP property transactions) 2021-2025
Villages like this one
Matched on size, density, second homes and which everyday shops and services are present — not on the score, so a village of the same kind that is doing better or worse shows up rather than being hidden.
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Neuville-Chant-d'Oisel | 76 | 488 km NW | 2,377 | 38.5 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 64 % · humidity 86 % |
| Grisy-Suisnes | 77 | 366 km NW | 2,948 | 46.2 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 21 % · winter 78 % · humidity 93 % |
| Chaumes-en-Brie | 77 | 358 km NW | 3,503 | 40.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 10 % · winter 82 % · humidity 86 % |
| Spechbach | 68 | 261 km NE | 1,418 | 33 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 31 % · winter 89 % · humidity 93 % |
| Marigny-les-Usages | 45 | 333 km NW | 1,887 | 36.3 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 41 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
| Crottet | 01 | 52 km N | 1,847 | 30.7 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.summer 74 % · winter 76 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crottet | 01 | 52 km N | 1,847 | 30.7 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.summer 74 % · winter 76 % |
| Spechbach | 68 | 261 km NE | 1,418 | 33 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 31 % · winter 89 % · humidity 93 % |
| Marigny-les-Usages | 45 | 333 km NW | 1,887 | 36.3 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 41 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
| Chaumes-en-Brie | 77 | 358 km NW | 3,503 | 40.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 10 % · winter 82 % · humidity 86 % |
| Grisy-Suisnes | 77 | 366 km NW | 2,948 | 46.2 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 21 % · winter 78 % · humidity 93 % |
| La Neuville-Chant-d'Oisel | 76 | 488 km NW | 2,377 | 38.5 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 64 % · humidity 86 % |
Sort and compare these on the full list →
…and in much the same climate
The same match on size and services, narrowed to communes whose summers, winters and summer humidity are all close to Balan's. All three are required, so this section is absent for the 11.8 % of communes with no humidity station near enough to measure: two temperature axes alone cannot tell a muggy coast from a dry one.
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourg-Saint-Christophe | 01 | 7.9 km NE | 1,562 | 31.7 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Niévroz | 01 | 2.7 km W | 1,662 | 32.7 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Vernègues | 13 | 239 km S | 2,166 | 54.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 86 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saint-Martin-de-Londres | 34 | 251 km SW | 2,696 | 72.2 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 86 % · humidity 86 % |
| Béligneux | 01 | 3.3 km NE | 3,535 | 42.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Souillac | 46 | 301 km W | 3,192 | 56.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 86 % · humidity 86 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/01027-balan