Region description:
Western France is the site of the beautiful region of Pays de la Loire, also known as the Loire Valley. The diverse, low lying landscape of Pays de la Loire has 5 regions: Mayenne, Maine et Loire, Loire Atlantique, Vendée and Sarthe which together is home to just over 3 million residents, making it the region with the fifth highest population, while maintaining a population density that mirrors the national average.
The lush, green magnificence of the countryside and the beautiful rivers of the Pays de la Loire centre are in strong contrast to the wild, rugged coast of the Atlantic. The temperate climate with warm summers and mild winters is welcomed in the region with its many vast rural areas, dedicated mostly to agriculture and the large economic centers and urban conurbations.
The sandy and rocky coastline of Loire-Atlantique is dotted with lovely resorts and has earned it the name Côte de Jade, on account of the sea's green colour in that area. The region of Pays de la Loire is more commonly known for the major industrial and ship building complex known as the St. Nazaire/Nantes area.
The department of Vendée has become popular as a tourist destination with more than one hundred miles of beautiful sandy beaches, as well as the two offshore islands, Yeu and Noirmoutier. Tourism is currently the primary industry of the Vendée department, whose architectural heritage is evidenced by its fine churches and impressive abbeys and châteaux.
Known more commonly among the locals as Val d'Anjou, the Maine et Loire department has also been termed the "valley of the kings" owing to the royal past and the legacy of abbeys, châteaux, manor houses and romantic churches that attract an average of 2.3 million tourists on an annual basis.
With its huge King Rene fortress, the city of Angers is one of the towns most visited, closely followed by Saumur, which is the home of the Romanesque Notre-Dame-de-Nantilly, with its notable tapestries of the 15th to 17th century and the Cadre Noir Academy for Horse Riding. The graves and statues of England's Henry II, his wife Eleanor and the son Richard I, often called the Lion Heart, are all located near here.
The Sarth department consists mainly of woodland and undulating fields, sculpted by the passage of the Sarthe River. The numerous châteaux add to its rich agricultural heritage. Similarly, the department of Mayenne is dominated by hills and woodlands around a navigable river.
In terms of livestock breeding and agriculture, Pays de la Loire is known to be the second largest region in France in addition to being the fifth largest region in regards to fishing. Freshwater fish caught from the Loire river and its various tributaries, is widely featured on local menus, particularly eel, pike, and shad which are often accompanied by beurre blanc, a butter whipped with white wine and shallot. The famous tarte tatin originated in the Loire, and Couhé-Vérac, a square goat's cheese with a nutty taste covered in chestnut leaves, is a classic which must be accompanied by a glass of the local Muscadet wine.
Compared to the rest of France, property prices here are low but have seen a steady increase over the past several years, and as such it has become a good place for property investment.
