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Arcachon is a commune
Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative divisions in the France. The French word commune appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin Medieval commune, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common....
 in the Gironde
Gironde

Gironde is a common name for the Gironde Estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a Departments of France in the Aquitaine Regions of France situated in southwest France....
 department in southwestern France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. It is a popular bathing location on the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 coast 34 miles southwest of Bordeaux
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
 in the Landes forest
Landes forest

The Landes forest or the Landes of Gascony , in the historic Gascony region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest maritime pine forest in Europe....
. It has a fine beach
Beach

File:MiamiSouthBeachPanoramaEdit.jpgA beach is a geology landform along the shoreline of a body of water. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of Rock , such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, pebbles, or cobble....
, and a mild climate said to be favourable for invalids suffering from pulmonary complaints.

Arcachon is known for the "Arcachonnaise", the local name for an Arcachon villa
Arcachon villa

Arcachon is known for the Arcachonnaise, the local name for an Arcachon villa, which is the architectural style of many of the older houses built there....
, which is the architectural style of many of the older houses built there.






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Arcachon is a commune
Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative divisions in the France. The French word commune appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin Medieval commune, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common....
 in the Gironde
Gironde

Gironde is a common name for the Gironde Estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a Departments of France in the Aquitaine Regions of France situated in southwest France....
 department in southwestern France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. It is a popular bathing location on the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 coast 34 miles southwest of Bordeaux
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
 in the Landes forest
Landes forest

The Landes forest or the Landes of Gascony , in the historic Gascony region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest maritime pine forest in Europe....
. It has a fine beach
Beach

File:MiamiSouthBeachPanoramaEdit.jpgA beach is a geology landform along the shoreline of a body of water. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of Rock , such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, pebbles, or cobble....
, and a mild climate said to be favourable for invalids suffering from pulmonary complaints.

Arcachon is known for the "Arcachonnaise", the local name for an Arcachon villa
Arcachon villa

Arcachon is known for the Arcachonnaise, the local name for an Arcachon villa, which is the architectural style of many of the older houses built there....
, which is the architectural style of many of the older houses built there. It is a type of Victorian architecture, and was criticized for generations, but is now considered to be charming and deeply human.

The town of Arcachon is only 150 years old. Not long before the 2nd of May 1857, when Emperor Napoleon III signed its official "birth certificate", it was just a forest of pine trees, oaks and strawberry trees (arbutus), with no road links, and home - mostly when the weather was expected to be warm, and more in wood huts than in real houses - to fewer than 400 people, mostly fishermen and peasants. In earlier years, when some hygienists began to recommend sea bathing, three sea establishments were laid out by some entrepreneurs especially for the Bordeaux
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
 bourgeoisie and other wealthy people. This was the beginning of a new lifestyle, and some of the locals got the opportunity to claim their independence from La Teste-de-Buch
La Teste-de-Buch

La Teste-de-Buch is a Communes of France in the Gironde Departments of France in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located on the south shore of Arcachon Bay, lying in the southwestern part of Gironde....
, which owned their properties, in order to found a "free" new town, Arcachon.

At its southern entrance from the Atlantic ocean, Arcachon Bay
Arcachon Bay

File:Bassin arcachon fin aout.jpgArcachon Bay, in French language the Bassin d'Arcachon , is a Headlands and bays of the Atlantic Ocean on the Ordinal direction sea shore of France, situated as a landmark between the C?te d'Argent and the C?te des Landes, in the region of Aquitaine....
 is crowned by Europe's largest sand dune, the Dune de Pyla (or du Pilat), nearly 3 kilometres long, 500 metres wide, reaching 107 metres in height, and moving inland at rate of 5 metres a year.

The area is served by La Teste-de-Buch Airport and the TGV Atlantique.

Notable natives and residents


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