Gujan-Mestras

Gujan-Mestras
Commune
Oyster port
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Gujan-Mestras
Gujan-Mestras Gujan-Mestras
Coordinates: 44°38′11″N 1°04′00″W
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Gironde
Arrondissement	Arcachon
Canton	Gujan-Mestras
Intercommunality	CA Bassin d'Arcachon Sud
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Marie-Hélène des Esgaulx
Area 1	53.99 km2 (20.85 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	22,399
• Density	410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	33199 /33470
Elevation	0–28 m (0–92 ft) (avg. 4 m or 13 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Gujan-Mestras (French pronunciation: [ɡyʒɑ̃ mɛstʁas]; Occitan: Gujan e Mestràs) is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France. It is twinned with Santa María de Cayón, Spain

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 1,639 —     1800 1,797 +1.32% 1806 1,785 −0.11% 1821 1,809 +0.09% 1831 1,929 +0.64% 1836 2,183 +2.50% 1841 2,440 +2.25% 1846 2,574 +1.07% 1851 2,685 +0.85% 1856 2,579 −0.80% 1861 2,686 +0.82% 1866 2,833 +1.07% 1872 3,029 +1.12% 1876 3,433 +3.18% 1881 3,906 +2.62% 1886 4,056 +0.76% 1891 3,916 −0.70% 1896 4,019 +0.52%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 4,136 +0.58% 1906 4,264 +0.61% 1911 4,659 +1.79% 1921 4,014 −1.48% 1926 4,038 +0.12% 1931 4,065 +0.13% 1936 4,394 +1.57% 1946 4,317 −0.18% 1954 5,033 +1.94% 1962 5,694 +1.55% 1968 6,687 +2.72% 1975 7,613 +1.87% 1982 8,600 +1.76% 1990 11,433 +3.62% 1999 14,958 +3.03% 2007 17,195 +1.76% 2012 20,136 +3.21% 2017 21,152 +0.99%
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017)

Geography

Gujan-Mestras is located in the southern part of the Arcachon bay. It is considered a major regional center for oyster farming, and is home to seven ports, which are from west to east:

• The Port of La Hume which focuses both on oyster farming and yachting,
• The Port of Meyran,
• The Port of Gujan,
• The Port of Larros which offers a promenade pier and is an active center for shipbuilding,
• The Port of the Canal,
• The Port of La Barbotière, a major oyster farming center close to the Technical High School for Maritime Science and Technologies
• The Port of La Mole which has neither been dredged nor used due to its difficult topography. From the former windmill bordering the port, only a millstone has withstood time. It gave its name to the Port of La Mole, “mole” meaning millstone in Gascon.

Neighbouring communes

Gujan-Mestras is surrounded by three communes. It is west of Le Teich, east of La Teste-de-Buch and north of Sanguinet.

Neighbourging communes of Gujan-Mestras

Transports

The TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine from Arcachon to Bordeaux has two stops in Gujan-Mestras (respectively named La Hume and Gujan-Mestras). The city is otherwise served by lines 4 to 7 of the Baïa bus network, the local public transport system of the Arcachon Bay which links the Dune of Pilat to Facture-Biganos. Nearest airport is Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport, around 50 km away.

• 
  La Hume train station.
• 
  Gujan-Mestras main train station.

Twin towns – sister cities

• Santa María de Cayón, Spain, autonomous community Cantabria

See also

• Communes of the Gironde department