Houtkerque

Identity

Houtkerque (INSEE 59318) is in Nord (59), part of CA Coeur de Flandre. Population 978 (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/59318-houtkerque

Vitality score

Vitality score 42.7/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).

Confidence: high.

Better served than 70 % of the 14,450 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.

Services

A school and somewhere to eat or drink, but no food shop. ^[3,4]

1 × Restaurant (CHEZ KATY). ^[3,4]

2 × Café / bar (AU CYGNE). ^[4]

1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE). ^[3]

1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE D'HOUTKERQUE). ^[3]

1 × Campsite (CAMPING LE DOMAINE DES CHENES). ^[3,4]

Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy, Post office / agence postale. ^[3,4]

Market and village life

Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.

Trajectory

Population 1,004 (2012) → 978 (2023): -2.6 % over 10 years. ^[5,1]

Population 715 (1990) → 978 (2023): 36.8 % over 30 years. ^[6,1]

Dwellings (2023): 430, of which 2.6 % second homes and 6.5 % vacant. ^[7]

Access and surroundings

Bakery (Bambecque): 4.4 km to the north-west (straight line). ^[8]

Food shop (Herzeele): 4.5 km to the west (straight line). ^[9]

GP (Bambecque): 4.6 km to the north-west (straight line). ^[8]

Pharmacy (Herzeele): 4.9 km to the west (straight line). ^[9]

Primary school (Houtkerque): 0 km to the south-west (straight line). ^[10]

Climate

An average of 6 days a year at or above 30 °C and 27 days at or below 0 °C, over 20 complete years in 1995–2024. ^[11]

Measured at the STEENVOORDE weather station, 5.5 km away at 42 m; the village itself is at 16 m. ^[11]

Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 1 day a summer. ^[11]

Humidity measured at STEENVOORDE, 5.5 km away at 42 m, over 18 summers. ^[11]

An average of 747 mm of rain a year, spread over 123 days — about 6.1 mm on a day it rains. ^[11]

Rainfall measured at STEENVOORDE, 5.5 km away at 42 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. ^[11]

What property sold for

63 houses sold between 2021 and 2025, at a median of 190,050 € — 1,499 € per m² of built surface. ^[12]

The median across Nord is 1,802 € 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

1. INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 59318/2023
2. INSEE density grid 2026
3. INSEE BPE 2025
4. INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
5. INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 59318/2012
6. INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 59318/1990
7. INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 59318/logement/2023
8. INSEE BPE 2025 — 59046
9. INSEE BPE 2025 — 59305
10. INSEE BPE 2025 — 59318
11. Météo-France daily climatology 1995-2024
12. DVF (DGFiP property transactions) 2021-2025