Palaiseau

Palaiseau
Palaiseau Town Hall
Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs
Location of Palaiseau
Palaiseau
Palaiseau
Coordinates: 48°42′52″N 2°14′45″E / 48.7145°N 2.2457°E / 48.7145; 2.2457
CountryFrance
RegionÎle-de-France
DepartmentEssonne
ArrondissementPalaiseau
CantonPalaiseau
IntercommunalityCA Paris-Saclay
Government
  Mayor (20202026) Grégoire De Lasteyrie
Area
1
11.51 km2 (4.44 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)
36,067
  Density3,100/km2 (8,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
91477 /91120
Elevation47–159 m (154–522 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Palaiseau (French pronunciation: [palɛzo]) is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 16.9 km (10.5 mi) from the centre of Paris. Palaiseau is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Palaiseau.

Palaiseau was a royal domain in the 6th century then again in the 18th century on the important road from Chartres to Paris. The population grew from the 19th century with the arrival of the railway connecting the town to Paris. Palaiseau then became a vacation spot, writers such as George Sand, Alexandre Dumas, Charles Péguy built their villas near the stations. A ranking from the newspaper Le Parisien in 2018 ranks Palaiseau as the third town in Essonne where it is good to be a parent.

The town is home to several major French "Grandes écoles" on its territory: the École Polytechnique, the Institut d'optique Graduate School, ENSTA ParisTech, ENSAE ParisTech, the Institut Mines-Télécom, AgroParisTech as well as research centers Onera, Danone, Thales and EDF.

Inhabitants of Palaiseau are known as Palaisiens.