At nightfall, small queues stretch in front of the shops in Ouistreham (Calvados) this Friday, January 5.
In the coastal resort "with a village atmosphere", between the small races, the Christmas ice rink and the onlookers, there is a lot of passage.
It must be said that since 2017, the town located about twenty minutes from Caen, has been gaining inhabitants.
INSEE published the census figures (for 2020) at the very end of 2022, which confirm the dynamic observed in Ouistreham and its surroundings.
"There are 9,438 inhabitants," says the mayor, Romain Bail.
And it is likely to be more today because the figures for 2020 do not include post-Covid installations.
I would say there are 9700-9800 inhabitants in fact.
What create the conditions for a relatively lively daily life in the seaside town, even out of season.
Ouistreham and its surroundings seem to be gaining momentum.
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Many municipalities in the sector, at the end of the Orne estuary, are gaining inhabitants, compared to the 2014 census. Example, just south of Ouistreham, in Saint-Aubin-d'Arquenay, increased from 775 souls in 2014 to 1122 in 2020, one of the biggest increases in Calvados.
“The housing construction program accelerated from 2014. Access to Caen is easy and there is plenty of land available,” summarizes a deputy mayor.
The village is pleased to have four classes in its school.
Since September, a micro-nursery has even opened, "highly requested", says Amandine, early childhood assistant.
“We are going to open another in 2024. It is an area with lots of construction.
We see many families arriving with children.
We can not say that there are less people in low season.
The area is very popular, ”continues the young woman.
Read alsoRelocations to the regions: these new families welcomed with open arms in Calvados
From her hairdressing salon, the only business in Saint-Aubin, Manon takes care of the hair of newcomers.
“I have a lot of former Parisians who have just moved in and, more generally, new inhabitants.
A lot of young couples, ”she confirms.
What hope to attract new local traders, Achilles heel of the town.
The Orne estuary is one of the tips of what many describe as "the golden triangle", from Courseulles-sur-Mer to the northwest, Caen to the south and Ouistreham to the northeast.
A life in a maritime setting, close to the Caen conurbation.
A large majority of localities have been gaining residents since 2014. And the Covid epidemic has boosted the attractiveness of the northern part of the triangle.
"It's also pleasant for active retirees, it's not Ehpad"
Serge, a retiree who has been living in Ouistreham (Calvados) for ten years
These new families are a central issue, explains the mayor of Ouistreham Romain Bail: “The population of Ouistreham is ageing.
There are more deaths than births.
We are working to attract families and young retirees to have a real pool of life”.
Between 100 and 120 dwellings have come out of the ground every year for the past four years to follow the demographic balance.
“Families are coming back.
There is a renewal.
It's fun, also for active retirees like my wife and me.
The city is not an nursing home, ”says Serge, a retiree who has been living for ten years, with a smile.
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The other side of the coin: real estate prices are soaring.
In Saint-Aubin-d'Arquenay, Nicolas describes “a sector that has become very expensive.
With my partner, we bought a house in a neighboring town before it exploded.
Today she took €100,000.”
Romain Bail, he assures that Ouistreham will fight to limit in particular the phenomenon of housing dedicated to rental where the excess of second homes but does not hide the risk of "gentrification".
“The prices of the Côte Fleurie (Cabourg, Deauville, etc.) will come to us little by little.
".
A real estate dynamic that will intersect with that of demography, still on the rise for four to five years according to local estimates.