Brains
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Partly served 49.4/100 · confidence: medium· Better served than 62 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Brains (INSEE 44024) is in Loire-Atlantique (44), part of Nantes Métropole. Population 2,709 (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 · Commune website 2026-10-24.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/44024-brains
Vitality score
Vitality score 49.4/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: medium (sources disagree on Restaurant).
Better served than 62 % of the 7,776 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 | 0.39 | 20 | 7.77 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0.51 | 10 | 5.13 |
| Public & culture | 0.39 | 5 | 1.97 |
| Population trend | 0.93 | 10 | 9.34 |
| Housing mix | 0.98 | 5 | 4.92 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie) (MAISON NICOLAS). [3,4]
1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (LA FORGE). [3,4]
3 × Restaurant (RS BRAINS · CASINCA PIZZA · LE CITRON VERT). [3,4]
2 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE JULES VERNE · ECOLE PRIVEE STE ANNE DDEC). [3]
2 × GP (médecin généraliste) (LAETITIA MAILLARD, MÉDECIN · KÉVIN GERMON, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy (PHARMACIE BOURDET). [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (BRAINS LPR RP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE MOTS PASSANTS). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (SALLE POLYVALENTE). [3]
3 × Hairdresser (ERIC NICOLAS LOUIS). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Bakery (boulangerie), 1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette), 2 × Fishmonger, 1 × Restaurant.
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Supermarket, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle). [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | MAISON NICOLAS | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 1 | LA FORGE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [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] | |
| Restaurant | 3 | RS BRAINS · CASINCA PIZZA · LE CITRON VERT | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 8 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 2 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE JULES VERNE · ECOLE PRIVEE STE ANNE DDEC | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 2 | LAETITIA MAILLARD, MÉDECIN · KÉVIN GERMON, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | PHARMACIE BOURDET | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | BRAINS LPR RP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE MOTS PASSANTS | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | SALLE POLYVALENTE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 3 | ERIC NICOLAS LOUIS | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [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 (reported, unverified): Friday 16 h à 18h30 Place des Clos Mâts. [5]
Trajectory
Population 2,587 (2012) → 2,709 (2023): 4.7 % over 10 years. [6,1]
Population 1,889 (1990) → 2,709 (2023): 43.4 % over 30 years. [7,1]
Dwellings (2023): 1,189, of which 0.8 % second homes and 3.3 % vacant. [8]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Saint-Jean-de-Boiseau): 2.9 km to the north (straight line). [9]
Food shop (Brains): 0.1 km to the east (straight line). [10]
GP (Brains): 0.4 km to the north-east (straight line). [10]
Pharmacy (Brains): 0.3 km to the north-east (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Brains): 0.2 km to the south (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 13 days a year at or above 30 °C and 28 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the NANTES-BOUGUENAIS weather station, 8.8 km away at 26 m; the village itself is at 23 m. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 3 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at NANTES-BOUGUENAIS, 8.8 km away at 26 m, over 30 summers. [11]
An average of 824 mm of rain a year, spread over 120 days — about 6.9 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at NANTES-BOUGUENAIS, 8.8 km away at 26 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
Uncertainties
sources disagree on Restaurant
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 — 44024/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- Commune website 2026-10— https://www.mairie-brains.fr/fr/rb/14809/le-marche-hebdomadaire— “Marché hebdomadaire tous les vendredis, de 16 h à 18h30: Place des Clos Mâts”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 44024/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 44024/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 44024/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 44166
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 44024
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foug | 54 | 584 km E | 2,628 | 40.6 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 64 % · humidity 86 % |
| Domagné | 35 | 103 km N | 2,491 | 54.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 % |
| Sainte-Flaive-des-Loups | 85 | 63 km S | 2,585 | 46.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 % |
| Castets | 40 | 368 km S | 2,516 | 57.6 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 51 % · winter 80 % · humidity 64 % |
| Saint-Jean-de-Liversay | 17 | 119 km SE | 3,063 | 38.1 | Few services | Warmer summers, similar winters.summer 85 % · winter 99 % |
| Saint-Colomban | 44 | 21 km SE | 3,500 | 38.4 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 93 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Colomban | 44 | 21 km SE | 3,500 | 38.4 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 93 % |
| Sainte-Flaive-des-Loups | 85 | 63 km S | 2,585 | 46.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 % |
| Domagné | 35 | 103 km N | 2,491 | 54.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Jean-de-Liversay | 17 | 119 km SE | 3,063 | 38.1 | Few services | Warmer summers, similar winters.summer 85 % · winter 99 % |
| Castets | 40 | 368 km S | 2,516 | 57.6 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 51 % · winter 80 % · humidity 64 % |
| Foug | 54 | 584 km E | 2,628 | 40.6 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 64 % · 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 Brains'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domagné | 35 | 103 km N | 2,491 | 54.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 % |
| Sainte-Flaive-des-Loups | 85 | 63 km S | 2,585 | 46.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Colomban | 44 | 21 km SE | 3,500 | 38.4 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 93 % |
| Étrelles | 35 | 107 km N | 2,703 | 64.7 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 % |
| Bais | 35 | 99 km N | 2,539 | 52 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 % |
| Sainte-Reine-de-Bretagne | 44 | 47 km NW | 2,484 | 45.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 97 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/44024-brains