Lyon, an European metropolis
Crédits Grand Lyon Jacques Léone
2nd largest city in France with 1 720 000 residents, and capital of the Rhône-Alpes region (over 6 million people, 6th highest GDP of European regions), Lyon offers a rare combination of economic vitality and good living.
The Lyon metropolitan area today stands out as the economically most dynamic and attractive area in France:
- Nearly 750,000 jobs in 126,300 establishments
- A position as leader in France for business creation (more than 12,000 each year)
- 1,500 company headquarters, including global leaders such as sanofi pasteur, bioMérieux, Groupe Seb, Renault Trucks (world headquarters), Bayer CropScience, JTEKT and Scotts International (European headquarters)
- International organizations: Interpol, Euronews, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the World Health Organization, 70 consulates and more
- A volume of investment in business property totalling over 600 millions in 2005
- 5 clusters, including 2 global leaders (biotechs and chemistry-environment)
- The 2nd university and research centre in France
- Hub of the European TGV system putting Lyon at 1hr55 from Paris (a TGV train every 30 minutes during peak hours), 3hr50 from Brussels and soon 1hr45 from Turin
- An international airport connecting Lyon to over 100 destinations in France and the world
- 2nd largest urban area listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- One of France’s leading tourist areas, just 1 hour from 190 Alpine ski resorts, 30 minutes from the Beaujolais wine country and 2 hours from the beaches of the Mediterranean
Lyon is also becoming a leader on the European convention and exhibition scene with the building of a 3,000-seat conference hall at the Cité Internationale. The city hosts internationally renowned events such as Biovision (The World Life Sciences Forum) or Pollutec (The International Trade Show on the Environment).
