Montpellier is a very popular place for people buying property for sale in Languedoc. The eighth city of France, it is a shining example of what can be done with an ancient city established well before the arrival of the motor car, to make it an attractive place to live and work and at the same time capable of meeting the ever increasing demands of an expanding population and the internal combustion engine. During his twenty-seven years as mayor,the controversial and exuberant Georges Frêche, with vision and huge sums of money has transformed the city into the delightful place it is today. Of the population of over 250,000, almost a quarter are students and 43% of the population are under 30, no doubt contributing to the vitality, energy, and youthful feel of this fascinating city located only 10 km from the shores of the Mediterranean.
Compared with other cities in the area such as Nîmes, Narbonne, and Carcassonne, Montpellier is comparatively new having been established as recently as the XIth century, but within 200 years its university was famous for its medical school,perhaps the oldest in Europe, a tradition which continues to this day, housing some of the best medical research and treatment facilities in France.In fact the Jardin des Plantes, the oldest in France, established in 1593 in the reign of Henri IV, was originally set up to provide plants and herbs for medical purposes.Nor has the city been resting on its laurels as today IBM has a significant presence there together with thriving IT and pharmaceutical industries. Tourism and leisure also form an important part of the economy of the city,the magnificent new aquarium “Mare Nostrum” housing one of the largest under water pools in Europe being one of the latest additions.
The historic centre of the town within the old mediaeval walls has been retained as a pedestrian area called the Ecusson, to the south of which a new district,the Antigone ,designed by the architect Ricardo Bofill has been established replete with office buildings apartments,shops ,cafés and restaurants, and an olympic sized swimming pool.
There are two opera houses,the charming old Opéra Comédie at the end of the huge central square of that name,and the more modern Corum which can seat 2000. Music,dance, cinema, and the visual arts are well catered for, and the Musée Fabre located near the Corum is one of the great art museums of France. Also worth a visit is the Musée de L’Histoire de Montpellier housed in the crypt of Notre-Dame-des-Tables, a muti-media exhibition of the history of the town and its changing architecture from earliest times to the present day,displayed in the imaginative way which the French do so well.
With its long history, the range of buildings from the oldest private houses in the Ecusson to the more modern villas on the outskirts of the city,Montpellier offers an enormous range of properties for all tastes and pockets,although naturally, as a great city, prices tend to be on the high side.
Starting in the Ecusson a small first floor studio apartment of 46 sq,m is available for €130,000, a two bedroom apartment of 150 sq.m for €312,000, a six room apartment of 180 sq.m for €472,500 and a loft style duplex with a 70 sq.m sitting room leading on to a terrace for €895,000. Alternatively there is a two bedroom apartment in an old building nearer the railway station for €239,000. These properties have the advantage of being located in the tranquillity of the cobbled streets of the old centre from which traffic is barred, and yet surrounded by cafés ,restaurants,and bars and all the amenities of city life.
Apartments in the new quarter of the Antigone are not easy to find particularly with a garage but one is on the market for €320,000. Alternatively a two bedroom apartment apartment with a parking space and terrace overlooking the river Lez is available for €202,000. Also in the Antigone is a modern apartment with three bedrooms and a large living room and outside parking for €245,000.A 4 room apartment with a 44 sq.m terrace,two bathrooms and a lift and a two car garage is on sale for €545,000
The “Beaux Arts” is a popular area, a top floor apartment of 73 sq.m with a terrace of 25 sq.m and a garage is for sale for €240,000. Also in the “Beaux Arts”,a one bedroom apartment on the top floor with a terrace overlooking the park for €189,000.In an old building fully renovated by an architect is a two bedroom apartment with a 40 sq.m living room for €296,000.
Further away from the centre there are plenty of modern apartment blocks with properties at a range of prices, but it is unusual to find a house for sale in the centre but one is available with a garden and six bedrooms for €1,000,000.To buy a modern villa with a garden and pool you usually have to have to move a few kilometres out of town to a suburb such as St. Clément de Rivière where there are a number available from €415,000 upwards. For example a villa on land of 2780 sq.m with a pool, 4 bedrooms and a large living room is on the market for €539,000,and one with 220 sq.m of living space with a pool on 2000 sq.m of land is available for €630,000.
It is not surprising that Montpellier is the city often voted the most desirable place to live in France.As well as the climate,it has everything that is attractive in a modern city but with all the charm of a metropolis that has existed for many centuries yet which has been developed with vision and taste to be the magnificent capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon that it is today.
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