35 km from Paris, Vaureal enjoys a very attractive geographic location, close to large transport infrastructure and major axes. Nestling between the Oise river loop and the Hautil woods, Vauréal benefits from a privileged environment and an exceptional quality of life which rests on pretty, shaded avenues, vast green spaces, and a superb panoramic view from the Belvédère on the Ile aux Loisirs in Cergy, and of the picturesque village itself on the banks of the Oise.
Hard to imagine that Vauréal’s history dates back several centuries, and yet… The village, built around the Lieux parish, became autonomous in 1252. It was only in 1656 that Antoine Guérapin, then first baron of the town and counsellor to the king, gave it its current name. Having become a municipality following the 1789 Revolution, Vauréal lived for a long period from wine-making, before suffering from the competition from southern regions following the transport revolution in the 19th Century.
It had to wait until 1971 and the creation of the new town of Cergy-Pontoise to finally undergo true expansion. The first neighborhood of the plateau (les Toupets) was developed starting 1984. Vauréal at that time was a mere residential neighbourhood of the new town. In the course of five years, the plateau was urbanized at an accelerated pace : each year, 2000 additional inhabitants have had to be accommodated, a new school opened, new services implemented… With the arrival of the Bussie neighbourhood in 1992, the town has tended towards being split into three hubs : the Village, the Toupets, and the new shopping centre. In 2000, to improve cohesion between the different neighbourhoods, and give the commune a strong identity, the local representatives embarked on a large public consultation with the inhabitants with a view to creating a town Centre. This was inaugurated in 2007.
Vauréal offers both rural tranquility and the excitement of a dynamic and enterprising town.