Sucé-sur-Erdre is a little town situated about 10 miles north of Nantes, in the Loire-Atlantique département, in the western part of France. Its name comes from the latin sulcus, meaning "furrow", and the celtic erdam, meaning "small river".
Sucé-sur-Erdre, as its name indicates, is located on the Erdre river, which at this point is near its junction to the Loire river. The town was fairly small (2,000 or so) for quite some time until it began to be absorbed into the greater suburbia of Nantes. As of 2004, it has about 6,000 inhabitants, a significant portion of which commute to Nantes. In general, the area is middle-class with a good portion of upper-middle class and upper-class homes, especially on the river banks.
Sucé-sur-Erdre is relatively well known in the area for its scenic river landscapes, and its many water sports opportunities, including fishing, sailing, kayaking, and water-skiing. It has essentially no industry, the main employer is a large convalescence home. There are many shops (butcher, baker, etc...) and one small supermarket.
The restaurant La Châtaigneraie should not be missed, since it is ranked one-star by the Michelin, and is held by the famous chef Delphin. [Update 2005/03 : this restaurant has, sadly, closed]
Historically, Sucé-sur-Erdre has had few encounters with history, its greatest claim to fame being that the famous philosopher René Descartes spent some time there (although this is not very well documented). It has a few old houses, but the church is modern (late XIXth century) and uninteresting. There are many picturesque farm houses in the area, although they are disappearing quickly due to the accelerated modernization brought by the expansion of Nantes.
The inhabitants of Sucé-sur-Erdre are called sucéens (males) and sucéennes (females).
Last updated: 05-24-2005 20:25:11
