Saint-Paul-de-Varax
A food shop and somewhere to eat or drink, but no school.
Few services 39.6/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 44 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Saint-Paul-de-Varax (INSEE 01383) is in Ain (01), part of CC de la Dombes. Population 1,634 (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 2026-10-25 · DATAtourisme 2026-10-22.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/01383-saint-paul-de-varax
Vitality score
Vitality score 39.6/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 44 % of the 11,001 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 | 0.26 | 25 | 6.56 |
| Social | 0.51 | 20 | 10.26 |
| Education | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.39 | 5 | 1.97 |
| Population trend | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Housing mix | 0.97 | 5 | 4.83 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop and somewhere to eat or drink, but no school. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie) (SAS BOUCHISSE). [3,4]
1 × Butcher (boucherie) (SARL LIMANDAS). [3,4]
2 × Restaurant (WILKI PIZZA). [3,4]
1 × Café / bar (L'ECHOPPE DE CLOCHER). [4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (ST PAUL DE VARAX BURALISTE RP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE). [3]
1 × Hairdresser (G.M. COIFFURE). [3,4]
1 × Hotel. [3]
1 × Campsite (CAMPING DU DOMAINE DE LA DOMBES). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Restaurant, 1 × Primary school (élémentaire), 1 × Pharmacy.
Not found in the commune: Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Nursery school (maternelle), Primary school (élémentaire), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | SAS BOUCHISSE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 1 | SARL LIMANDAS | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [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 | 2 | WILKI PIZZA | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 1 | L'ECHOPPE DE CLOCHER | INSEE SIRENE 1 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Pharmacy | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] | |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | ST PAUL DE VARAX BURALISTE RP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 1 | G.M. COIFFURE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 1 | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] | |
| Campsite | 1 | CAMPING DU DOMAINE DE LA DOMBES | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
Market and village life
A market is recorded here, but no source gives the day. [5]
Trajectory
Population 1,500 (2012) → 1,634 (2023): 8.9 % over 10 years. [6,1]
Population 1,081 (1990) → 1,634 (2023): 51.2 % over 30 years. [7,1]
Dwellings (2023): 719, of which 1.7 % second homes and 7.8 % vacant. [8]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Saint-Paul-de-Varax): 0 km to the north (straight line). [9]
Food shop (Saint-Paul-de-Varax): 0.1 km to the south (straight line). [9]
GP (Lent): 5.6 km to the north-east (straight line). [10]
Pharmacy (Lent): 5.6 km to the north-east (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Saint-André-le-Bouchoux): 4.4 km to the north-west (straight line). [11]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 23 days a year at or above 30 °C and 61 days at or below 0 °C, over 17 complete years in 1995–2024. [12]
Measured at the MARLIEUX weather station, 7.2 km away at 271 m; the village itself is at 271 m. [12]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 3 days a summer. [12]
Humidity measured at CEYZERIAT_SAPC, 16.9 km away at 260 m, over 18 summers. [12]
An average of 816 mm of rain a year, spread over 113 days — about 7.2 mm on a day it rains. [12]
Rainfall measured at MARLIEUX, 7.2 km away at 271 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [12]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01383/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- DATAtourisme 2024-11— https://data.datatourisme.fr/13/d5ffd4b6-1e8b-39c3-aeff-21e5729801d7— “Marché hebdomadaire”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01383/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01383/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01383/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 01383
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 01211
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 01335
- Météo-France daily climatology 1995-2024
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boisgervilly | 35 | 591 km NW | 1,804 | 41.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 62 % · winter 77 % · humidity 79 % |
| La Grigonnais | 44 | 541 km W | 1,828 | 46.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 86 % · humidity 93 % |
| Fontenay-le-Pesnel | 14 | 547 km NW | 1,258 | 40.1 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 54 % · winter 55 % · humidity 86 % |
| Villeneuve | 01 | 24 km W | 1,638 | 41.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.summer 85 % · winter 88 % |
| Lantic | 22 | 665 km NW | 1,814 | 43.2 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 46 % · winter 38 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saint-Malô-du-Bois | 85 | 471 km W | 1,612 | 47.9 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 74 % · winter 80 % · humidity 93 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villeneuve | 01 | 24 km W | 1,638 | 41.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.summer 85 % · winter 88 % |
| Saint-Malô-du-Bois | 85 | 471 km W | 1,612 | 47.9 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 74 % · winter 80 % · humidity 93 % |
| La Grigonnais | 44 | 541 km W | 1,828 | 46.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 86 % · humidity 93 % |
| Fontenay-le-Pesnel | 14 | 547 km NW | 1,258 | 40.1 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 54 % · winter 55 % · humidity 86 % |
| Boisgervilly | 35 | 591 km NW | 1,804 | 41.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 62 % · winter 77 % · humidity 79 % |
| Lantic | 22 | 665 km NW | 1,814 | 43.2 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 46 % · winter 38 % · 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 Saint-Paul-de-Varax'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Grigonnais | 44 | 541 km W | 1,828 | 46.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 86 % · humidity 93 % |
| Longecourt-en-Plaine | 21 | 122 km N | 1,177 | 37.3 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 99 % · humidity 86 % |
| Herrlisheim-près-Colmar | 68 | 271 km NE | 1,911 | 36.9 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 93 % |
| Jebsheim | 68 | 287 km NE | 1,360 | 42.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 88 % · humidity 93 % |
| Lignières-de-Touraine | 37 | 383 km W | 1,318 | 42.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 92 % · humidity 100 % |
| Wimmenau | 67 | 357 km NE | 1,070 | 29.8 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 95 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/01383-saint-paul-de-varax