Sonzay
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Partly served 41.6/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 56 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Sonzay (INSEE 37249) is in Indre-et-Loire (37), part of CC de Gâtine-Racan. Population 1,410 (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.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/37249-sonzay
Vitality score
Vitality score 41.6/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 56 % of the 12,065 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 | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.39 | 5 | 1.97 |
| Population trend | 0.8 | 10 | 8 |
| Housing mix | 0.93 | 5 | 4.64 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie) (SIMBERT). [3,4]
1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (LEBONPRIX). [3,4]
2 × Restaurant (AUBERGE LE SIGNAL). [3,4]
1 × Café / bar (LE BISTROLOGUE). [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE YVAN POMMAUX). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (SONZAY RP LPR RP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHEQUE ASSOCIATIVE DE SONZAY). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (STADE CAMILLE PETEREAU). [3]
3 × Hairdresser (MADY COIF · L'INSTANT COIFFURE). [3,4]
1 × Campsite (CAMPING L'ARADA PARC). [3,4]
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Supermarket, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | SIMBERT | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 1 | LEBONPRIX | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [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 | AUBERGE LE SIGNAL | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 1 | LE BISTROLOGUE | INSEE SIRENE 1 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE YVAN POMMAUX | 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 | 1 | SONZAY RP LPR RP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHEQUE ASSOCIATIVE DE SONZAY | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | STADE CAMILLE PETEREAU | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 3 | MADY COIF · L'INSTANT COIFFURE | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Campsite | 1 | CAMPING L'ARADA PARC | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 1,352 (2012) → 1,410 (2023): 4.3 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 1,085 (1990) → 1,410 (2023): 30 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 685, of which 3.6 % second homes and 10.1 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Sonzay): 0 km to the east (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Sonzay): 0 km to the east (straight line). [8]
GP (Souvigné): 4.9 km to the west (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Saint-Paterne-Racan): 8.3 km to the north (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Sonzay): 0.6 km to the south-west (straight line). [8]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 15 days a year at or above 30 °C and 43 days at or below 0 °C, over 13 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the SONZAY weather station, 1.1 km away at 117 m; the village itself is at 104 m. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 2 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at SONZAY, 1.1 km away at 117 m, over 13 summers. [11]
An average of 694 mm of rain a year, spread over 113 days — about 6.1 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at SONZAY, 1.1 km away at 117 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
What property sold for
86 houses sold between 2021 and 2025, at a median of 176,400 € — 1,506 € per m² of built surface. [12]
The median across Indre-et-Loire is 1,846 € per m², so this commune sits below 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
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 37249/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 37249/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 37249/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 37249/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 37249
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 37251
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 37231
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brussieu | 69 | 368 km SE | 1,382 | 43.5 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 45 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Germain-des-Prés | 49 | 98 km W | 1,388 | 45.3 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 78 % · humidity 100 % |
| Torcé-en-Vallée | 72 | 68 km N | 1,397 | 40.9 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 79 % · winter 80 % · humidity 93 % |
| Corbières-en-Provence | 04 | 587 km SE | 1,317 | 46.6 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 33 % · winter 68 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saint-Augustin-des-Bois | 49 | 95 km W | 1,295 | 46.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Étienne-sur-Chalaronne | 01 | 368 km SE | 1,637 | 48.4 | Partly served | Warmer summers, similar winters.summer 46 % · winter 92 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torcé-en-Vallée | 72 | 68 km N | 1,397 | 40.9 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 79 % · winter 80 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Augustin-des-Bois | 49 | 95 km W | 1,295 | 46.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Germain-des-Prés | 49 | 98 km W | 1,388 | 45.3 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 78 % · humidity 100 % |
| Brussieu | 69 | 368 km SE | 1,382 | 43.5 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 45 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Étienne-sur-Chalaronne | 01 | 368 km SE | 1,637 | 48.4 | Partly served | Warmer summers, similar winters.summer 46 % · winter 92 % |
| Corbières-en-Provence | 04 | 587 km SE | 1,317 | 46.6 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 33 % · winter 68 % · 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 Sonzay'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-Augustin-des-Bois | 49 | 95 km W | 1,295 | 46.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Villeperdue | 37 | 39 km S | 1,126 | 43.7 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 92 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Antoine-du-Rocher | 37 | 13 km E | 1,824 | 41.3 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 97 % · humidity 100 % |
| Hermonville | 51 | 324 km NE | 1,419 | 47.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 99 % · humidity 86 % |
| Bazainville | 78 | 168 km NE | 1,469 | 35 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 91 % · humidity 100 % |
| Marles-en-Brie | 77 | 224 km NE | 1,898 | 46.6 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 85 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/37249-sonzay