Every design for Livry-Gargan

The second half of the name Livry-Gargan belongs to Xavier Gargan, who built a factory here in the 19th century; it was added in 1912 to a name that goes back to Liberiacum, the estate of a Gallo-Roman called Liberius. In 1869 part of the land was carved off to help create Le Raincy.

What makes the town unusual for the Paris suburbs is how much room it has. It is one of the largest communes around the capital, rising from the plain in the north to the hills by the forest of Bondy in the south, with the Canal de l'Ourcq along its western edge, and it keeps plenty of green: the Parc des Sœurs, the Parc Bellevue and the Parc départemental de la Fosse Maussoin. Even the town hall stands in its own park, once known as the Écu de France. There is no Métro or RER stop, but the T4 tram runs through, stopping at République Marx-Dormoy and Léon Blum.

For the Livryens, the slope of that hill, with the woods at the top, is the way home.