Saint-Thomas-la-Garde
A school, but no food shop and nowhere to eat or drink.
Few services 22.9/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 30 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Saint-Thomas-la-Garde (INSEE 42290) is in Loire (42), part of CA Loire Forez Agglomération (LFA). Population 592 (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/42290-saint-thomas-la-garde
Vitality score
Vitality score 22.9/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 30 % of the 17,156 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 | 0.32 | 5 | 1.58 |
| Population trend | 0.67 | 10 | 6.7 |
| Housing mix | 0.97 | 5 | 4.85 |
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 × Library (MÉDIATHÉQUE - SAINT-THOMAS-LA-GARDE). [3]
1 × Hairdresser. [3,4]
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. [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 | 1 | MÉDIATHÉQUE - SAINT-THOMAS-LA-GARDE | 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 | 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
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 582 (2012) → 592 (2023): 1.7 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 506 (1990) → 592 (2023): 17 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 271, of which 1.5 % second homes and 5.9 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Lézigneux): 1.6 km to the west (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Saint-Georges-Haute-Ville): 1.5 km to the south-east (straight line). [9]
GP (Montbrison): 2.6 km to the north (straight line). [10]
Pharmacy (Montbrison): 2.9 km to the north (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Saint-Thomas-la-Garde): 0 km to the east (straight line). [11]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 15 days a year at or above 30 °C and 57 days at or below 0 °C, over 18 complete years in 1995–2024. [12]
Measured at the VERRIERES EN FO weather station, 5.9 km away at 770 m; the village itself is at 460 m. [12]
The village sits 310 m below the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 6.06 °C per km of altitude before the days were counted. Expect the result to be within about 0.68 °C. [12]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 20 days a summer. [12]
Humidity measured at ST-BONNET-LE-CHATEAU_SAPC, 14.6 km away at 822 m, over 10 summers. [12]
That station sits 362 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.69 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [12]
An average of 873 mm of rain a year, spread over 117 days — about 7.5 mm on a day it rains. [12]
Rainfall measured at VERRIERES EN FO, 5.9 km away at 770 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 — 42290/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42290/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42290/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42290/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 42122
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 42228
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 42147
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 42290
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hargnies | 59 | 522 km N | 599 | 24.7 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel drier.summer 90 % · winter 91 % · humidity 0 % |
| Bois-d'Ennebourg | 76 | 479 km NW | 583 | 24 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 79 % · winter 77 % · humidity 0 % |
| Villers-au-Bois | 62 | 545 km N | 607 | 26.8 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel drier.summer 79 % · winter 95 % · humidity 0 % |
| Warlaing | 59 | 541 km N | 603 | 26.9 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel drier.summer 85 % · winter 89 % · humidity 0 % |
| Mesnil-Saint-Loup | 10 | 305 km N | 579 | 22.4 | Few services | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel drier.summer 85 % · winter 92 % · humidity 0 % |
| Saint-Martinien | 03 | 151 km NW | 597 | 22.1 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel drier.summer 95 % · winter 100 % · humidity 0 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Martinien | 03 | 151 km NW | 597 | 22.1 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel drier.summer 95 % · winter 100 % · humidity 0 % |
| Mesnil-Saint-Loup | 10 | 305 km N | 579 | 22.4 | Few services | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel drier.summer 85 % · winter 92 % · humidity 0 % |
| Bois-d'Ennebourg | 76 | 479 km NW | 583 | 24 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 79 % · winter 77 % · humidity 0 % |
| Hargnies | 59 | 522 km N | 599 | 24.7 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel drier.summer 90 % · winter 91 % · humidity 0 % |
| Warlaing | 59 | 541 km N | 603 | 26.9 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel drier.summer 85 % · winter 89 % · humidity 0 % |
| Villers-au-Bois | 62 | 545 km N | 607 | 26.8 | Few services | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel drier.summer 79 % · winter 95 % · 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 Saint-Thomas-la-Garde'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-Georges-Haute-Ville | 42 | 2.0 km SE | 1,453 | 36 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Écotay-l'Olme | 42 | 3.6 km NW | 1,334 | 28.2 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 95 % · humidity 86 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/42290-saint-thomas-la-garde