The South west at its best!

Beautiful scenery and typical charming villages, the Midi Pyrenees region has everything to please house hunters. The largest French region (45, 348 sqm) comprises 8 departments: Lot, Aveyron, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Haute Garonne, Ariege, Gers and Hautes Pyrenees.

This region located in the South of the country has many featured much desired by the English.

The departments have managed to keep plenty of history and traditions. For instance, in the early 20^th century, the main language in Aveyron was “l’occitan” a dialect very different from standard French. However, this language is almost dead and nowadays only a few people still communicate in it. Everybody now speaks French (with a strong accent though!).

The capital of the region is Toulouse, the 4^th greatest city in France with more than 439 553 inhabitants in 2008 (1 133 000 with the suburbs). This attractive city has the advantage of combining both economic and cultural development and its international airport links directly with most European capitals.

The city is a real boost for  the economy of the region, and the constant growth of Toulouse attracts more and more tourists every year which gave ideas to others cities such as Rodez- the capital of the Aveyron- which aims to develop direct routes from its airport (to London airports).

In France, there is a famous saying that states: “Toulouse and the Midi Pyrenean desert”. This quote is not entirely true nowadays as the Midi Pyrenees have found a way to redevelop after years of stagnation. It seems that the region finally understood its potential and is more than ever determined to take advantage of it.  For instance, the Midi Pyrenees possesses strong cultural towns such as:

–          Lourdes : world famous place for religious pilgrimage (2^nd largest tourist destination after Paris)

–          Laguiole: Well known for knife manufacturing and Roquefort cheese production

The Midi Pyrenees has seen an exodus of people moving away to work in larger cities such as Paris. However, nowadays the balance is being redressed thanks to more and more French and foreign house hunters who are seeking a property in a peaceful region with breathtaking landscapes. There are numerous French properties at reasonable prices.

The region is particularly appreciated for its variety of landscapes and its proximity to the sea (a few hours driving either for the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea) and the mountains (Jura Mountains or the Pyrenees). The Midi Pyrenees is one of the most recent regions (created in the 20^th century) so it has been influenced by both Languedoc and Pyrenean culture. The Tarn and the Tarn-et-Garonne perfectly illustrate this surprising but pleasant mix of culture which explains its natural charms, reflected in the character stone houses in France. The region thus has numerous typical stone houses or French castles; however the arrival of new house hunters coincided with the emergence of recent houses which gives even more variety to this marvellous region.