Balaruc-le-Vieux
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Served 66/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 97 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Balaruc-le-Vieux (INSEE 34024) is in Hérault (34), part of CA Sète Agglopôle Méditerranée. Population 2,737 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Ceintures urbaines (level 4). [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.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/34024-balaruc-le-vieux
Vitality score
Vitality score 66/100 — Served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 97 % of the 7,720 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 | 0.52 | 25 | 12.95 |
| Social | 0.89 | 20 | 17.77 |
| Education | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Health | 0.66 | 10 | 6.56 |
| Public & culture | 0.2 | 5 | 0.98 |
| Population trend | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Housing mix | 0.78 | 5 | 3.88 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
3 × Bakery (boulangerie) (BEST OF BREAD MONTPELLIER · CHEZ STEPHANIE ET YANN · BOULANGERIE CYPRIEN). [3,4]
3 × Supermarket (ALDI MARCHE · CARREFOUR). [3,4]
16 × Restaurant (VIDEBA · CASA DI MAGGIO · SAMPAN EXPRESS · LA LOUISIANE · BURGER KING). [3,4]
3 × Café / bar (LA CAGE · LA PETITE BRASSERIE · BAR RESTAURANT LA CARAVELLE). [4]
1 × Nursery school (maternelle) (ECOLE MATERNELLE). [3]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE DU M RIER BLANC). [3]
5 × GP (médecin généraliste) (JULIE LE PALLEC, MÉDECIN · NICOLAS HERAN, MÉDECIN · OMAR EL OMAR, MÉDECIN · ILIANA KOLEVA, MÉDECIN · MARTIN COURNAUD, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy (LA GRANDE PHARMACIE BALARUC). [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (BALARUC LE VIEUX AP). [3]
4 × Bank (CIC SUD OUEST · CAISSE REGIONALE DE CREDIT AGRICOLE MUTUEL DU LANGUEDOC · BANQUE POPULAIRE DU SUD · BANQUE DUPUY, DE PARSEVAL PAR BANQU). [3]
11 × Hairdresser (INAIS · LEADER COIFFURE · JEAN CLAUDE AUBRY · BLC COIFFURE). [3,4]
1 × Fuel station (STATION SERVICE). [3,4]
2 × Hotel (HOTEL BALLADINS · THE ORIGINALS). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Restaurant, 2 × Hotel.
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Library. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 3 | BEST OF BREAD MONTPELLIER · CHEZ STEPHANIE ET YANN · BOULANGERIE CYPRIEN | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Supermarket | 3 | ALDI MARCHE · CARREFOUR | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4] |
| Cheese shop (fromagerie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Fishmonger | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Restaurant | 16 | VIDEBA · CASA DI MAGGIO · SAMPAN EXPRESS · LA LOUISIANE · BURGER KING | INSEE BPE 16 / INSEE SIRENE 22 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 3 | LA CAGE · LA PETITE BRASSERIE · BAR RESTAURANT LA CARAVELLE | INSEE SIRENE 3 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 1 | ECOLE MATERNELLE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE DU M RIER BLANC | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 5 | JULIE LE PALLEC, MÉDECIN · NICOLAS HERAN, MÉDECIN · OMAR EL OMAR, MÉDECIN · ILIANA KOLEVA, MÉDECIN · MARTIN COURNAUD, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 5 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | LA GRANDE PHARMACIE BALARUC | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | BALARUC LE VIEUX AP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 4 | CIC SUD OUEST · CAISSE REGIONALE DE CREDIT AGRICOLE MUTUEL DU LANGUEDOC · BANQUE POPULAIRE DU SUD · BANQUE DUPUY, DE PARSEVAL PAR BANQU | INSEE BPE 4 [3] |
| Hairdresser | 11 | INAIS · LEADER COIFFURE · JEAN CLAUDE AUBRY · BLC COIFFURE | INSEE BPE 11 / INSEE SIRENE 12 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 1 | STATION SERVICE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Hotel | 2 | HOTEL BALLADINS · THE ORIGINALS | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 7 [3,4] |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] |
Market and village life
Weekly market (reported, unverified): Wednesday 18h à 19h esplanade Marcel Pradel. [5]
Trajectory
Population 2,234 (2012) → 2,737 (2023): 22.5 % over 10 years. [6,1]
Population 1,065 (1990) → 2,737 (2023): 157 % over 30 years. [7,1]
Dwellings (2023): 1,377, of which 11.2 % second homes and 1.1 % vacant. [8]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Balaruc-le-Vieux): 0 km to the west (straight line). [9]
Food shop (Balaruc-le-Vieux): 0.5 km to the east (straight line). [9]
GP (Balaruc-le-Vieux): 0.1 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Balaruc-le-Vieux): 0.5 km to the east (straight line). [9]
Primary school (Balaruc-le-Vieux): 0.2 km to the east (straight line). [9]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 25 days a year at or above 30 °C and 3 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. [10]
Measured at the SETE weather station, 7 km away at 75 m; the village itself is at 18 m. [10]
The village sits 57 m below the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 5.7 °C per km of altitude before the days were counted. Expect the result to be within about 0.68 °C. [10]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 24 days a summer. [10]
Humidity measured at SETE, 7 km away at 75 m, over 30 summers. [10]
That station sits 57 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.26 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [10]
An average of 515 mm of rain a year, spread over 52 days — about 9.9 mm on a day it rains. [10]
Rainfall measured at SETE, 7 km away at 75 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [10]
Uncertainties
The market day comes from the commune's own website and has not been confirmed by a second source. [5]
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 34024/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- Commune website 2026-10— https://www.ville-balaruclevieux.fr/— “Circuit-court de producteurs locaux basé dans 5 communes dont Balaruc-le-Vieux, avec une livraison tous les mercredis à l'esplanade Marcel Pradel de 18h à 19h.”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 34024/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 34024/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 34024/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 34024
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zillisheim | 68 | 548 km NE | 2,561 | 51.7 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 87 % · winter 12 % · humidity 0 % |
| Valmont | 57 | 667 km N | 3,041 | 37.2 | Few services | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 67 % · winter 35 % · humidity 0 % |
| Fitz-James | 60 | 666 km N | 2,514 | 45.1 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 62 % · winter 23 % · humidity 0 % |
| Buhl | 68 | 566 km NE | 3,100 | 38.1 | Few services | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 79 % · winter 14 % · humidity 0 % |
| La Tour-du-Crieu | 09 | 169 km W | 3,230 | 45.8 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 92 % · winter 55 % · humidity 0 % |
| Sainte-Marguerite | 88 | 592 km NE | 2,234 | 58.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 82 % · winter 0 % · humidity 0 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Tour-du-Crieu | 09 | 169 km W | 3,230 | 45.8 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 92 % · winter 55 % · humidity 0 % |
| Zillisheim | 68 | 548 km NE | 2,561 | 51.7 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 87 % · winter 12 % · humidity 0 % |
| Buhl | 68 | 566 km NE | 3,100 | 38.1 | Few services | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 79 % · winter 14 % · humidity 0 % |
| Sainte-Marguerite | 88 | 592 km NE | 2,234 | 58.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 82 % · winter 0 % · humidity 0 % |
| Fitz-James | 60 | 666 km N | 2,514 | 45.1 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 62 % · winter 23 % · humidity 0 % |
| Valmont | 57 | 667 km N | 3,041 | 37.2 | Few services | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 67 % · winter 35 % · humidity 0 % |
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 Balaruc-le-Vieux'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bouzigues | 34 | 2.5 km SW | 1,601 | 56.3 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Poussan | 34 | 3.3 km NW | 6,797 | 63.4 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 99 % · humidity 93 % |
| Pomérols | 34 | 17 km SW | 2,299 | 47.3 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
| Cap-d'Ail | 06 | 301 km E | 4,482 | 43.3 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 97 % · humidity 93 % |
| Gigean | 34 | 5.0 km NE | 6,639 | 61.8 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 99 % · humidity 93 % |
| Loupian | 34 | 5.8 km W | 2,169 | 50.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/34024-balaruc-le-vieux