Sainte-Colombe-sur-Gand
A school, but no food shop and nowhere to eat or drink.
No daily shops 16.5/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 22 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Sainte-Colombe-sur-Gand (INSEE 42209) is in Loire (42), part of CC de Forez-Est. Population 384 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Rural à habitat dispersé (level 6). [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/42209-sainte-colombe-sur-gand
Vitality score
Vitality score 16.5/100 — No daily shops (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 22 % of the 18,015 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 | 25 | 0 |
| Social | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Population trend | 0.38 | 10 | 3.79 |
| Housing mix | 0.78 | 5 | 3.92 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A school, but no food shop and nowhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (COMPLEXE SPORTIF SALLE D ANIMATION RURALE). [3]
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Restaurant, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy, Post office / agence postale, Library. [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) | 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 SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Café / bar | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE | 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 | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | COMPLEXE SPORTIF SALLE D ANIMATION RURALE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [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
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 425 (2012) → 384 (2023): -9.6 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 437 (1990) → 384 (2023): -12.1 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 241, of which 10.8 % second homes and 15.8 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Saint-Just-la-Pendue): 3 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Saint-Just-la-Pendue): 3.1 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
GP (Saint-Just-la-Pendue): 3.1 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Pharmacy (Bussières): 4.8 km to the south (straight line). [9]
Primary school (Sainte-Colombe-sur-Gand): 0.1 km to the south-east (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 16 days a year at or above 30 °C and 55 days at or below 0 °C, over 25 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the MACHEZAL weather station, 6.4 km away at 608 m; the village itself is at 576 m. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 10 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at NEULISE, 8 km away at 557 m, over 10 summers. [11]
An average of 824 mm of rain a year, spread over 112 days — about 7.4 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at BUSSIERES, 3.7 km away at 514 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42209/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42209/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42209/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42209/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 42249
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 42029
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 42209
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Gilles-les-Bois | 22 | 636 km NW | 384 | 16.9 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 67 % · winter 54 % · humidity 36 % |
| Larreule | 65 | 432 km SW | 379 | 18.3 | No daily shops | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 46 % · winter 92 % · humidity 100 % |
| Villard-Saint-Christophe | 38 | 156 km SE | 397 | 23.8 | Few services | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 82 % · winter 0 % · humidity 29 % |
| Les Préaux | 27 | 477 km NW | 396 | 17.5 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 79 % · winter 70 % · humidity 36 % |
| Greuville | 76 | 504 km NW | 368 | 18.4 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 64 % · winter 59 % · humidity 36 % |
| Les Lèches | 24 | 319 km W | 389 | 21.3 | Few services | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 67 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villard-Saint-Christophe | 38 | 156 km SE | 397 | 23.8 | Few services | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 82 % · winter 0 % · humidity 29 % |
| Les Lèches | 24 | 319 km W | 389 | 21.3 | Few services | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 67 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 % |
| Larreule | 65 | 432 km SW | 379 | 18.3 | No daily shops | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 46 % · winter 92 % · humidity 100 % |
| Les Préaux | 27 | 477 km NW | 396 | 17.5 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 79 % · winter 70 % · humidity 36 % |
| Greuville | 76 | 504 km NW | 368 | 18.4 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 64 % · winter 59 % · humidity 36 % |
| Saint-Gilles-les-Bois | 22 | 636 km NW | 384 | 16.9 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 67 % · winter 54 % · humidity 36 % |
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 Sainte-Colombe-sur-Gand'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escout | 64 | 486 km SW | 423 | 18.9 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
| Coust | 18 | 158 km NW | 415 | 22.6 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 91 % · humidity 86 % |
| Buziet | 64 | 485 km SW | 479 | 23.5 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 91 % · humidity 100 % |
| Échebrune | 17 | 369 km W | 480 | 27 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 % |
| Arpheuilles | 18 | 166 km NW | 299 | 27.4 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 91 % · humidity 86 % |
| Bougneau | 17 | 373 km W | 655 | 23.8 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 100 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/42209-sainte-colombe-sur-gand