Gex, Ain

Gex
Town hall Town hall
Coat of arms of Gex Coat of arms
Gex
Location within Rhône-Alpes region Gex
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ain
Arrondissement	Gex
Canton	Gex
Government
• Mayor (2014-2020)	Patrice Dunand
Area1	32.02 km2 (12.36 sq mi)
Population (2012)2	10,677
• Density	330/km2 (860/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	01173 / 01170
Elevation	532–1,614 m (1,745–5,295 ft) (avg. 617 m or 2,024 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.

Gex (French: [ʒɛks]) is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.

It lies 5 km (3.1 mi) from the Swiss border and 16 km (9.9 mi) from Geneva. It is a subprefecture of Ain.

History

The town gave its name to the Pays de Gex, at various times under the jurisdiction of France, Switzerland and the Duchy of Savoy.

With the 1815 Protocol of the Conference of Paris, (signed on 20 November) and the Treaty of Paris of the same date, Gex was placed in the Customs region of Switzerland and neutralised. The resolutions regarding the Pays de Gex were annulled by Art 435 of the Treaty of Versailles. In November 1923 France moved its customs office to Gex, and the matter was brought before the Permanent Court of International Justice (predecessor of the International Court of Justice), which decided in favour of Switzerland. A compromise was reached in 1932.

Historically, citizens spoke a dialect of the Franco-Provençal language.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	2,398	—
1800	2,415	+0.7%
1806	2,354	−2.5%
1821	2,536	+7.7%
1831	2,834	+11.8%
1836	2,894	+2.1%
1841	2,835	−2.0%
1846	2,785	−1.8%
1851	2,874	+3.2%
1856	2,662	−7.4%
1861	2,602	−2.3%
1866	2,642	+1.5%
1872	2,675	+1.2%
1876	2,719	+1.6%
1881	2,720	+0.0%
1886	2,693	−1.0%
1891	2,659	−1.3%
1896	2,878	+8.2%
1901	2,822	−1.9%
1906	2,727	−3.4%
1911	2,175	−20.2%
1921	2,030	−6.7%
1926	2,065	+1.7%
1931	2,048	−0.8%
1936	1,966	−4.0%
1946	1,874	−4.7%
1954	2,041	+8.9%
1962	2,361	+15.7%
1968	3,137	+32.9%
1975	4,296	+36.9%
1982	4,868	+13.3%
1990	6,615	+35.9%
2008	9,694	+46.5%
2012	10,677	+10.1%

Economy

Its principal market for exports is Geneva.

See also

• Communes of the Ain department

References

• INSEE

External links

• Official town website (in French)
•