Montalba-le-Château
No food shop, school, café or restaurant in the commune.
No daily shops 16.1/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 49 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Montalba-le-Château (INSEE 66111) is in Pyrénées-Orientales (66), part of CC Roussillon-Conflent. Population 163 (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/66111-montalba-le-chateau
Vitality score
Vitality score 16.1/100 — No daily shops (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 49 % of the 14,672 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 | 10 | 0 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.63 | 5 | 3.16 |
| Population trend | 0.97 | 10 | 9.68 |
| Housing mix | 0.16 | 5 | 0.81 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
No food shop, school, café or restaurant in the commune. [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (MONTALBA LE CHATEAU AP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE MONTALBA-LE-CHÂTEAU). [3]
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Restaurant, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle), Primary school (élémentaire), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy. [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) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [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 | MONTALBA LE CHATEAU AP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE MONTALBA-LE-CHÂTEAU | 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 | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [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 148 (2012) → 163 (2023): 10.1 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 111 (1990) → 163 (2023): 46.8 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 172, of which 41.9 % second homes and 7 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Ille-sur-Têt): 4.9 km to the south-east (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Rodès): 4.3 km to the south (straight line). [9]
GP (Ille-sur-Têt): 5.7 km to the south-east (straight line). [8]
Pharmacy (Ille-sur-Têt): 5.7 km to the south-east (straight line). [8]
Primary school (Caramany): 4.4 km to the north (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 17 days a year at or above 30 °C and 39 days at or below 0 °C, over 15 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the SOURNIA weather station, 10 km away at 515 m; the village itself is at 458 m. [11]
The village sits 57 m below the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 5.7 °C per km of altitude before the days were counted. Expect the result to be within about 0.68 °C. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 3 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at EUS, 11.9 km away at 321 m, over 25 summers. [11]
That station sits 137 m below the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.26 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [11]
An average of 592 mm of rain a year, spread over 64 days — about 9.3 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at VINCA, 4.6 km away at 251 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
What property sold for
21 houses sold between 2021 and 2025, at a median of 125,000 € — 1,452 € per m² of built surface. [12]
The median across Pyrénées-Orientales is 2,334 € 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 — 66111/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 66111/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 66111/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 66111/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 66088
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 66165
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 66039
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grancey-sur-Ource | 21 | 611 km N | 172 | 7.6 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 65 % · humidity 86 % |
| Belvis | 11 | 43 km NW | 166 | 10.6 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 72 % · winter 53 % · humidity 79 % |
| Vicq | 52 | 628 km N | 161 | 9.8 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 58 % · humidity 93 % |
| Glénat | 15 | 247 km N | 178 | 7.4 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 92 % · humidity 86 % |
| Cunfin | 10 | 617 km N | 161 | 8.3 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
| Davejean | 11 | 30 km N | 163 | 21.3 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 79 % · winter 73 % · humidity 79 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davejean | 11 | 30 km N | 163 | 21.3 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 79 % · winter 73 % · humidity 79 % |
| Belvis | 11 | 43 km NW | 166 | 10.6 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 72 % · winter 53 % · humidity 79 % |
| Glénat | 15 | 247 km N | 178 | 7.4 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 92 % · humidity 86 % |
| Grancey-sur-Ource | 21 | 611 km N | 172 | 7.6 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 65 % · humidity 86 % |
| Cunfin | 10 | 617 km N | 161 | 8.3 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
| Vicq | 52 | 628 km N | 161 | 9.8 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 58 % · humidity 93 % |
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 Montalba-le-Château'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glénat | 15 | 247 km N | 178 | 7.4 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 92 % · humidity 86 % |
| Cunfin | 10 | 617 km N | 161 | 8.3 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
| Plaisance | 86 | 426 km N | 170 | 11.7 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 96 % · humidity 100 % |
| Bouisse | 11 | 34 km N | 104 | 14.9 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 97 % · humidity 100 % |
| Theil-Rabier | 16 | 424 km NW | 164 | 10.5 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 91 % · humidity 100 % |
| Villefavard | 87 | 400 km N | 154 | 5.7 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/66111-montalba-le-chateau