Houdain

Houdain
Coat of arms
Houdain
Location within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region Houdain
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Béthune
Canton	Canton of Houdain
Intercommunality	Communauté d'agglomération de l'Artois
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Daniel Dewalle
Area1	6.3 km2 (2.4 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	7,698
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	62457 / 62150
Elevation	45–121 m (148–397 ft) (avg. 53 m or 174 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Houdain is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

A former coalmining, now a light industrial and farming town, situated some 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Béthune at the junction of the D86, D301 and the D341 roads. The small rivers Lawe and Blanche join within the commune.

Population

Historical population of Houdain

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006
Population	8745	8807	8483	7746	7930	7771	7698
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places of interest

The church of St. John, dating from the thirteenth century.

Notable people

Hervé, real name Florimond Ronger, a composer, was born here in 1825.

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

• Official website of Houdain (French)
• Website of the Communauté d'agglomération de l'Artois (French)
• Houdain on the Quid website (French)