Gargenville

Gargenville is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France, 45 km to the center of Paris. It is part of the Parc naturel régional du Vexin français. With the neighborhing commune of Issou, it forms an urban area of around 10000 inhabitants.

Inhabitants are known in French as the Gargenvillois.

History
The name Gargenville is referenced as Gargen villam in 1164, Gargenvilla in 1249, Girgenville in 1265, Gargenville in 1429. It comes from the gallic name Garganus and the gallo-romain suffix VILLA, "rural domain" (villa rustica in Latin).

Before the French Revolution, Gargenville was made of two fiefs, the domaine d'Hanneucourt and the Moufle de la Tuilerie. In 1790, they were merged to form the new commune, which then had 990 inhabitants.

Economy
The "Aciérie et Laminoir de Paris", now Alpa Riva electric steelworks, and various industries, including industrial waste treatment centers and quarries.

Transportation
Public transportation is provided by Transilien on the Paris Saint Lazare to Mantes Station via Conflans-Sainte-Honorine line.

Neighbouring communes
On the edge of the Seine, the territory is highly urbanized, in which residential areas and industries alternate. It forms an almost continuous agglomeration from Follainville-Dennemont in the west to Juziers in the east, and which continues beyond towards Meulan and Poissy. There are major communication routes: D191 departmental road, Paris-Mantes railway line on the north bank of the Seine, private or public port facilities, including the river-sea port of Limay-Porcheville which depends on the Autonomous Port of Paris.

This is where the industrial zones are located, notably with the Gargenville-Juziers cement plant, the Issou-Gargenville oil depot (ex-refinery), and the Porcheville thermal power plant.

The northern part of the canton, entirely included in the regional natural park, very wooded, more sparsely populated, is dedicated to traditional agriculture and forestry, crafts and tourism.