Saint-Étienne

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Saint-Étienne (French: [sɛ̃t‿etjɛn]; Arpitan: Sant-Etiève, Occitan: Sant Estève; English: Saint Stephen) is a city in eastern central France, in the Massif Central, 55 km (34 mi) southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, on the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon. Saint-Étienne is the capital of the Loire department. Saint-Étienne is the 13th most populated commune in France and the 2nd most populated commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Saint-Étienne Métropole is the 3rd most populous regional metropolis after Grenoble Alpes and Lyon. The municipality is also at the heart of a vast urban area with more than 519,834 inhabitants in 2016, the seventeenth largest in France by population, comprising 117 municipalities. Long known as the French city of the "weapon, cycle and ribbon" and a major coal mining center, Saint-Etienne is currently engaged in a vast urban renewal program aimed at leading the transition from the industrial city inherited from the 19th century to the "design capital" of the 21st century. This approach was recognized with the entry of Saint-Etienne into the UNESCO Creative Cities network in 2010. The city is currently undergoing renewal, with the installation of the Châteaucreux business district, the Steel shopping center and the Manufacturing creative district. The city is known for its football club AS Saint-Étienne who has won the Ligue 1 title a record ten times.