Live In Paris

In Paris when you are looking for a place to live and at the property market, most things are possible as long as you are prepared to spend a bit of time and effort looking for what you want.

Depending on what you do for a living, Parisians are especially adept at trying to live very near their place of work and there is no reason why you cannot do the same.

Although this is certainly not the case with the many commuters who come in from the environs every working day, there are still a substantial number of people who live very close to their place of work in Paris.

Whilst by no means unique, either in world or 'western' terms, Paris seems to have the ability to incorporate business with everyday life, work with play, work with food and so on, whilst being able to integrate all these into conveniently small areas. This does not necessarily mean that it is parochial, however it may seem this to many.

Historically, as Paris grew as a city during and after medieval times, tradesmen plying a similar craft tended to have their own little area of commerce. Most would 'live above the shop' or certainly in close proximity to their place of work. This tradition has stayed with Parisians where at all possible, and in many cases the business came to the customer, with shops and restaurants opening in the more salubrious areas in many cases, the people running the businesses living, as they still do, 'above the shop'.

Even in the case of factories most Parisians will live near their place of work if the local rents are not too expensive. The tremendous expansion of metropolitan Paris has, though, led, as with many European capital cities, to de-centralisation and the removal of many of the workforce to offices, factories and workplaces outside the city centre, often some distance from the central area.

This has been necessitated both by the planning restrictions and building regulations in inner-Paris and the rapidly increasing property prices. Many companies are finding it much cheaper to re-locate outside the more central zones, whilst many staff are also happy to find cheaper and larger housing in the suburbs.

The very strong impact that Paris has on not only the national but also on the international markets will continue to ensure that something like a quarter of French trade is done in or through Paris and its surrounds. The Ile de France is the financial gem in France's 'revolutionary crown' and with immigration on the increase is likely to become demographically more populous.

The movement towards the suburbs of many businesses, both large and small, though, has caused another problem, that of inner-city deprivation. What used to be 'nice' areas where businesses and families thrived have turned into run-down areas, largely populated by the unemployed. Illegal immigration does not help this situation, and the Paris authorities have had to cope with racial and financial disharmony, in some areas leading to serious violence at times.

If you are looking to live and work in Paris you may well be able to save the commute and live near your place of work. A great luxury for many a long term commuter from a foreign country. It is worth noting though that a lot of people live in the central parts of Paris and commute to the suburbs for their work!