Greater Geneva

When people ask me where I live, my answer is usually that I live in "the Geneva area of Switzerland," mainly because Geneva is much better known and thus more easily visualized than the tiny village (commune) where I actually reside. In fact, I can now begin using the term, "Greater Geneva, (le Grand Geneve) accurately. Within the last month, this conurbation (and yes, I learned a new word!) of three French departments (Ain, Haute-Savoie and Rhone-Alpes) and two Swiss cantons (Geneva and Vaud) has officially been dubbed Greater Geneva.

While the name itself is new, this agglomeration project has been on the drawing boards since the 1970s because of the large numbers of people employed in Geneva - generally for the international organizations that are based there - but who live outside Geneva canton, either in France or in Vaud. It wasn't until the late 1990s, however, that it took concrete form with the publication of the "Charte d'aménagement de l'agglomération transfrontalière franco-valdo-genevoise" (France-Vaud-Geneva Conurbation Development Charter). While there were many starts and stops along the way, the Charter was signed by the partners in 2007 and the project was officially launched. It allows for the creation of a coordination and administrative level and defines the grand organization principles for the region that are to be achieved by 2030, as shown below.

To be precise, not all parts of each French department or Swiss canton named are actually included within this conurbation. It is only those regions that are in close proximity to Geneva. My village, being located in the western district of Vaud, with its regional administrative center located in nearby Nyon, is indeed included within Greater Geneva.


The area is home to approximately 730,000 inhabitants, 500,000 of whom live in Switzerland. Contrast this with the population of my birth state of Montana, which is approximately the size of the country of France. The population of that whole state is just shy of one million. Despite what might be seen as congestion by my fellow Montanans, this area is a shining example of how humans can co-exist harmoniously not only with their fellow humans from all over the world, but with the native flora and fauna.


I never feel crowded here.