L'Escale
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Few services 34/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 32 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
L'Escale (INSEE 04079) is in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04), part of CA Provence-Alpes-Agglomération. Population 1,427 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Petites villes (level 3). [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/04079-l-escale
Vitality score
Vitality score 34/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 32 % of the 12,006 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 | 0.13 | 25 | 3.28 |
| Social | 0.2 | 20 | 3.93 |
| Education | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Health | 0.32 | 10 | 3.16 |
| Public & culture | 0.39 | 5 | 1.97 |
| Population trend | 0.8 | 10 | 7.97 |
| Housing mix | 0.94 | 5 | 4.68 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie) (CHEZ POMPONETTE). [3,4]
1 × Café / bar. [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE DE L'ESCALE). [3]
2 × GP (médecin généraliste) (MURIEL THOREAU, MÉDECIN · DIDIER FALIGAND, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (L ESCALE AP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE L'ESCALE). [3]
1 × Hairdresser (CHROMATIC'HAIR). [3,4]
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Restaurant, Nursery school (maternelle), Pharmacy. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | CHEZ POMPONETTE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [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 | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Café / bar | 1 | INSEE SIRENE 1 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE DE L'ESCALE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 2 | MURIEL THOREAU, MÉDECIN · DIDIER FALIGAND, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 2 [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 | 1 | L ESCALE AP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE L'ESCALE | 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 | CHROMATIC'HAIR | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Weekly market: Friday matins Place du Bourguet. [5,6]
Confirmed by two independent sources: Commune website and DATAtourisme.
Trajectory
Population 1,349 (2012) → 1,427 (2023): 5.8 % over 10 years. [7,1]
Population 1,100 (1990) → 1,427 (2023): 29.7 % over 30 years. [8,1]
Dwellings (2023): 784, of which 3.2 % second homes and 10.3 % vacant. [9]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (L'Escale): 0.1 km to the west (straight line). [10]
Food shop (Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban): 1.7 km to the west (straight line). [11]
GP (L'Escale): 0.1 km to the north (straight line). [10]
Pharmacy (Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban): 1.4 km to the north-west (straight line). [11]
Primary school (L'Escale): 0.1 km to the east (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 49 days a year at or above 30 °C and 51 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. [12]
Measured at the ST AUBAN weather station, 3.7 km away at 458 m; the village itself is at 446 m. [12]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 0 days a summer. [12]
Humidity measured at ST AUBAN, 3.7 km away at 458 m, over 30 summers. [12]
An average of 704 mm of rain a year, spread over 73 days — about 9.6 mm on a day it rains. [12]
Rainfall measured at ST AUBAN, 3.7 km away at 458 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 — 04079/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- Commune website 2026-10— https://www.lescale.fr/autres-services.html— “Un petit marché à L'Escale tous les vendredis matins”
- DATAtourisme 2026-09— https://data.datatourisme.fr/13/68eb1368-2907-38bf-942f-3687f38f5d3b— “Petit marché à L'Escale tous les vendredis matins, place du Bourguet, face au bar : légumes, fromages, rôtisseur, crêpes et galettes bretonnes...”
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 04079/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 04079/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 04079/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 04079
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 04049
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andres | 62 | 814 km N | 1,523 | 29.1 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 89 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Sorlin-en-Bugey | 01 | 207 km N | 1,152 | 32.3 | Few services | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 49 % · winter 80 % · humidity 64 % |
| Néfiach | 66 | 312 km SW | 1,383 | 39.8 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 64 % · winter 65 % · humidity 14 % |
| Boeil-Bezing | 64 | 515 km W | 1,341 | 38.6 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 44 % · winter 96 % · humidity 0 % |
| Lampaul-Guimiliau | 29 | 914 km NW | 2,032 | 44.5 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 49 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-André-le-Puy | 42 | 222 km NW | 1,530 | 30.4 | Few services | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 67 % · winter 74 % · humidity 0 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Sorlin-en-Bugey | 01 | 207 km N | 1,152 | 32.3 | Few services | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 49 % · winter 80 % · humidity 64 % |
| Saint-André-le-Puy | 42 | 222 km NW | 1,530 | 30.4 | Few services | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 67 % · winter 74 % · humidity 0 % |
| Néfiach | 66 | 312 km SW | 1,383 | 39.8 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 64 % · winter 65 % · humidity 14 % |
| Boeil-Bezing | 64 | 515 km W | 1,341 | 38.6 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 44 % · winter 96 % · humidity 0 % |
| Andres | 62 | 814 km N | 1,523 | 29.1 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 89 % · humidity 93 % |
| Lampaul-Guimiliau | 29 | 914 km NW | 2,032 | 44.5 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 49 % · humidity 93 % |
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 L'Escale'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Laurent-du-Pape | 07 | 129 km NW | 1,618 | 40.7 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 91 % · humidity 86 % |
| Beauchastel | 07 | 127 km NW | 1,800 | 48.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 91 % · humidity 86 % |
| Volonne | 04 | 3.0 km N | 1,633 | 50.9 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Privat | 07 | 142 km NW | 1,663 | 46.9 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 96 % · humidity 86 % |
| Ucel | 07 | 143 km NW | 2,019 | 32 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 93 % · humidity 86 % |
| Grillon | 84 | 94 km W | 1,690 | 45.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/04079-l-escale