Tag: Paris

Paris 15th Arrondissement- Home to the Corbusian inspired Beaugrenelle District and Paris’ most Populationed Neighborhood

The 15th Arrondissement is Paris’ most populous arrondissement, with a population of 229,713 as of 2023. This is close to its historic high in 1962 of 250K. The ability of the 15th arrondissement to hold its population better than other parts of Paris is likely attributed to the major urban renewal district of Beaugrenelle which resulted in many dense high rises the general affordability of the district leading to less spacious renovations for the wealthy.

After the Second World War, the current character of the 15th Arrondissement took shape and began to distinguish itself from the rest of Paris. Autocentric and Corbusian inspired design resulted in the creation of the Beaugrenelle District along the left bank of the Seine. Conceived in the 1960s and largely constructed during the 1970s, the project relies heavily on “”dalle”” construction (an elevated concrete platform or superblock). This structural platform splits the neighborhood into two distinct levels. The Upper Level is reserved entirely for pedestrians, public green spaces, and residential/commercial entryways. The beneath the platform on the bottom level is street-level vehicular traffic, parking garages, and public transit infrastructure. Post War planning also resulted in the Boulevard Périphérique (ring road), which lasted from 1956 to 1973. Fortunately this has been converted into a street car boulevard. France’s largest convection/exhibition area (Paris Expo) runs along the Boulevard Peripherique and attracts more than 7 million visitors a year along with hundreds of concerts and sporting events.

My favorite sub district is the Grenelle District which lies next to the Beaugrenelle District. It has retained its old village feel with tight and irregular streets, older 1-3 story bldgs, and the wonderful Rue du Commerce which terminates at a gorgeous historic church. While the 15th Arrondissement lacks the grand tree line boulevards, museums, and recognizable landmarks of other parts of Paris, it remains a wonderful urban district full of mixed-use areas, attractive commercial districts, excellent parks, great subway and bike infrastructure and solid Haussmannian and Art Noveau architecture.

Click here to view my 15th Arrondissment Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Some excellent parks in the district including Parc Georges-Brassens, Parc André Citroën, Square Saint-Lambert, and Champ-de-Mars sitting just outside of the district where the Eifel Tower is. Also plenty of smaller neighborhood parks well spread throughout the district and the linear  Petite Ceinture railway line located on a retired railroad line.
* Several great business districts including Rue St Charles, Rue Brancion, Rue Blomet/Rue Lecourbe/Rue de Vaugirard and several perpendicular biz districts, Rue de la Constitution, Av. Félix Faure, Rue des Entrepreneurs/ Rue Linois, Rue du Commerce, Rue Cambronne, and Boulevard du Montparnasse.
* Excellent overall Subway access. Only the eastern edge of the 15th Arrondissement is a bit underserved being a 10 minute walk from the nearest metro station at points.
* Great bike infrastructure including many seperated bike lanes.
* Solid historic Parisian architecture including mostly a mix of 1860s-1880 Haussman buildings and more turn of the 20th century styles.
* Great density at 70K residents per square mile.
* One of the largest post War development sits here along the Seine, “Front de Seine”/Beaugrenelle district and breaks out the historic Parisian fabric a bit. It also shared a border with the 14th district for the Tour Montparnesse. Most of the Javel district have been redeveloped after the closure several factories which populated the district (i.e. Citroen and Thompson).
* Relatively affordable arrondissement compared to the rest of Paris.
* Other than museums the 15th has great cultural amenities including plenty of restaurants, bars & cafes plenty of theaters, cinemas & live music venues.
* Excellent retail amenities like the rest of Parish but also two major shopping Malls (Centre Commercial Beaugrenelle & Centre Commercial Gaîté-Montparnasse) which house several department stores. 

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

  • Only a handful of museums which is very limited compared to the rest of Paris. Also landmark buildings outside of Tore Montparnasse and Gare Montparnasse are pretty limited.
  • Tree canopy is so so for a Parisian District. Fewer grand boulevards here than other Parisian district especially with the dedicated tree line strips.
  • Legacy of car centric planning is more evident here than most Paris districts most notably with the Boulevard Périphérique ( ring road), which was thankfully converted to a street car boulevard and the Front de Seine modernist development.

Paris’ 14th Arrondissement- Home to Gare Montparnasse and one of Paris’ more Affordable Districts

The 14th Arrondissement is officially named Arrondissement de l’Observatoire as its host Paris’ Observatory. Like many Paris Districts the 14th’s population peaked in the 1950s at 1854K. Its now down to around 135K-140K, which it has been since the 1980s. The district has traditionally been home to many artists as well as a significant Breton community, which arrived at the beginning of the 20th century when Gare Montparnasse was built. The most recognizable part of the 14th is its northern border formed by Blvd du Montparnasse. Here one finds the Gare Montparnasse, Le Tour Montparnasse, Cimetière du Montparnasse, L’Observatoire de Paris, the Market set up regularly along Blvd Edgar Quintet, Les Catacombes de Paris and the vibrant Rue Daguerre commercial district, which is a quasi-pedestrian street. The southern edge of the 14th also hosts some welcome known sites at least for Parisians (i.e. Parc Mountsouris, Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris and Les Puces de Vanves).

The 14th Arrondissement is a solid urban neighborhood, which is more affordable than most Parisian districts. The district is well served by neighborhood parks, metro systems, bike infrastructure, several excellent biz districts, plenty of mixed use fabric and solid cultural and retail amenities especially concentrated around Gare Montparnasse. The only neighborhood attribute that I find a bit lacking with the 14th Arrondissement is a lack of more distinctive subdistricts that help distinguish smaller pockets from the larger Arrondissement. These subdistricts feel more prevalent in most Paris Districts.

Click here to view my 14th Arrondissment Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Great array of large and interesting parcs (Montsouris, Montparnasse Cemetery, Pl. de Catalogne, Petite Ceinture du 14e, Jardin Atlantique). Plenty of other small & medium parks well distributed through the district.
* Lots of quaint villagelike streets (
* Lots of attractive commercial streets including: Rue des Thermopyles, Sq. de Montsouris, Rue Daguerre, Blvd Edgar Quinet, Ave du Maine, Av. du Général Leclerc, Rue Didot, Rue Raymond Losserand, Rue de l’Ouest, Boulevard du Montparnasse,  Rue Brézin. Plenty of mixed-use fabric outside of these notable biz districts.
* Several notable landmarks: Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, Montparnesse, Gare Montparnasse, Observatoire de Paris, Les Catacombes (underground), the 14th arrondissement Townhall, Church of Saint-Pierre-de-Montrouge, Church of Our Lady of Labour, Réservoir de Montsouris
* Solid historic architecture with lots Haussman buildings and more intimate but less ornate  late 18th/early 19th styles. Also some more creative late 19th/early 20th century styles more in the Art Nouveau style and some post WWII in-fill.
* Not a very touristy district, esp. outside of Montparnasse Cemetery and Garde Montparnasse.
* Great system of dedicated bike lanes.
* Much more affordable/accessible neighborhood than the right bank districts. Medium incomes are 13th of Paris’ 20 Arrondissements.
* Solid cultural amenities with a strong concentration around Gare Montparnasse. Excellent retail amenities really throughout the district.
* Solid density at just under 63K residents per square mile. Also a solid number of jobs at around 70K. 

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Tree canopy is fine but outside of the southern edge of the district where there are larger block apartment buildings, it feels a bit limited.
* Does not have as strong of sub-districts with their own unique character as most other Paris Arrondissements. 

Paris’ 13th Arrondissement- Home to Paris’s largest Asian Population and a solid Urban District off the beaten path of most tourists

Paris 13th Arrondissement I sense is one of the least traveled by tourists in the City. Yet this is a very solid urban district which would blow almost any American neighborhood away measured by urbanists metrics. The Arrondissement also has several interesting sub neighborhoods including Le Quartier Asiatique along Avenue d’Ivry and  Avenue de Choisy, Butte-aux-Caillesa (a wonderful mixed-use district with mostly narrow streets), several more intimate village like streets along Quartiers des Peupliers, La Cite Fleurie, and Cite Florale and the modern district of Paris Rive Gauche.

Thanks to the Quartier Asiatique the 13th arrondissement is one of the few Paris neighborhoods that is still growing in population. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the first wave of Vietnamese refugees from the Vietnam War settled in the district. This eventually diversified to include Vietnamese immigrants with Chinese descent and immigrants from Laos and Cambodia. In the present day the district as a strong Chinatown feel as most of the original Vietnamese immigrants have assimilated across Paris (while still maintaining a large business presence). The 13th arrondissement is also growing as a major Parisian job center thanks to the completely new Paris Rive Gauche District which runs along the Seine. The heart of the district is truly The Place d’Italie where many major Parisian Boulevards converge and the district serves as a major nightlife and shopping district. It takes its name from its proximity to the Avenue d’Italie, which, traditionally, has been the point of departure on the road that links Paris and Italy.

Click here to view my 13th Arrondissment Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:
* Several great biz districts like the Av. de France (part of a modern Paris Rive Gauche district), Bd Vincent Auriol with its elevated subway line running down the middle, Ave d’Ivry, Av. de Choisy, Rue de Tolbiac,  Avenue des Gobelins, and Blvd Arago/St. Marcel. Also plenty of mixed-use areas as well even where the streets are primarily residential.
* Lots of smaller and medium parks. Only a handful of larger more formidable parks (i.e. Parc Kellerman and Parc de Choisy). Also really solid waterfront parks and plazas along the Seine on the Port de la Gare.
* More modern styles of architecture than your average Parisian district, esp. when you include Paris Rive Gauche, which is a textbook on how to build a new urban district. Lots of modern high rises in the Chinatown district as well.
* Solid tree canopy.
* One of the least touristy Paris Districts.
* Much more affordable/accessible neighborhood than the right bank districts.
* Solid density at 66K residents per square mile.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

  • Great metro access like all Paris neighborhoods but subway coverage is a bit limited in the southwestern quadrant of the district. Same goes for bike infrastructure coverage.
  • Compared to most Parisian districts, esp. the right bank, the historical architecture here is a bit sub par. Still plenty of Haussman style apartments and pockets of intimate village like rowhouses.
  • Only a handful of museums which is very limited compared to the rest of Paris.
  • This also has an effect on the district’s lack of landmarks where I would really only include The François-Mitterrand Library, Manufacture des Gobelins, the 13th arrondissement townhall”

The 20th Arrondissement: Home to Paris’s most Historically Radical Neighborhood (Belleville)

The 20th Arrondissement is generally conceived as Paris’ most radical and working class arrondissement. In many ways this is true but the 20th Arrondissement is much more than that as it also hosts many middle class districts. Les Amandiers/Menilmontant and Belleville are the stereotypical working class and historically radical neighborhoods within the 20th Arrondissement.  By the 1830s Menilmontant and Belleville were already urbanized, heavily working-class, and socialist. The districts played a major role in the Paris Commune of 1871 and was the most difficult area for the Versailles Army to reconquer Paris in May of 1871. By the 1950s/1960s  many artists, musicians, students, and hippies moved into the area, giving it a distinctively bohemian, left-wing and counterculture identity. But by this time much of the neighborhood was in disrepair and the City targeted the area for urban renewal. Fortunately Paris’ version of urban renewal was much more targeted and sensible than its counterpart in American. Hillsides were converted to parks and buildings surgically replaced with modernist buildings that still retained a decent urban design. Current day Belleville remains somewhat gritty but is witnessing a significant amount of revitalization. Belleville also hosts Parc de Belleville where one is given some of the best great views of the City. The remaining parts of the 20th Arronissement, which comprise the majority of the district, are middle class areas hosting an eclectic mix of historic and modern architecture with generally quality urbanity.

The 20th Arrondissement hosts several great commercial districts but has limited consistant mixed-use areas as is the case closer to the center of Paris. Major commercial districts in the arrondissement include:  Rue d’Avron,  Rue Saint-Blaise (intimate cobble stone street), Rue de Bagnolet, Av. Gambetta/Rue Belgrand, Rue des Pyrénées, Rue de Belleville, Rue de Ménilmontant, Bd de Belleville.

Click here to view my 20th Arrondissement Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Solid density at around 83K per square mile.
* Hosts the infamous Père Lachaise Cemetery where many famous people are buried (i.e. Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Chopin, Oscar Wild) and countless Parisian families.
* Largest immigrant populations here.
* Limited amount of tourism.
* Hosts Parc de Belleville a wonderful hilltop park with great views of the City. Decent # of other small to medium sized parks but less green spaces than most parts of Paris.
* Nice Promenade in the middle of Bd Belleville.
* Quality modern in fill in the eastern and southern parts of the arrondissement.
* Interesting maze of stairways and roadways in the hillier parts of the district.
* Good subway access throughout the district. 

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Still lots of grit and some crime in the Menilmontant and Belleville areas but this is changing as the districts are gentrying.
* Tree canopy is lacking in the more historically working class areas.
* The Menilmontant and Belleville areas hosts a large concentration of unattractive mid century buildings. Still better urban form than their counterpart in American but often ugly buildings.

Paris’ 19th Arrondissement- An Authentic Parisian District Mixing Classic Bohemism with New Diverse France

The 19th arrondissement is a great mix of architecture styles and walks of life mixing Old French bohemianism and the new highly diverse Parisian cosmopolitanism. This sector is home to many immigrants especially from North and Sub-Sahara Africa. Generally the south western edge of the district is the oldest populated with a mix of Haussmannian architecture along the Boulevards but also plenty of more plain historic styles common to its neighbor Belleville to the south. As one moves to the north and east thru the neighborhood architecture becomes more and more modern but plenty overall the district is very eclectic architecturally.

Quartier de la Mouzaïa in the eastern central portion of the district is the most affluent and attractive neighborhood of the 19th Arrondissement hosting many semi-private and village esh streets. The Quartier is surrounded by two excellent hilltop parks (i.e. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont and Parc de la Buttee-du-Chapeau-Rouge), which take advantage of the 19th’s hilly terrain. Just north of here is the LaVilette, Paris’ largest cultural park, a treasurer for Parisian families where one can enjoy a host of museums and performing arts venues or simply take a stroll thru the well designed plazas and canal side promenades along the Canal Saint-Denis and Cala de l’Ourcq. Much of the 19th Arrondissement has a strong immigrant/working class presence but it is most pronounced  in the Northwestern sector outlined by the two aforementioned canals. This subdistrict is mostly post WWII construction yet still maintains a high level of urbanity.

The 19th’s main commercial districts include  Av. Jean Jaurès,  Rue de Belleville, Simon Bolivar, Rue Eugène Jumin (a block long pedestrian st surrounded by gorgeous 1910s flats), Av. de Flandre (Pedestrian Promenade in the middle), and Rue de Crimée.

Click here to view my 19th Arrondissement Album on my Flickr Page

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* The 19th Arrondissement is marked by some of Paris’ greatest parks and ones that are off the beaten track of most tourist (i.e. the hilltop parks of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont (designed by Baron Haussmann for the World’s Exposition in the 1860s) and Parc de la Butte-du-Chapeau-Rouge, Le Bassin de la Villette and surrounding canal promenades, and the expansive La Villete filled with numerous museums and arts and cultural amenities, it is Paris’s largest cultural park), and Jardins d’Eole. Plenty of others smaller plazas and parkettes and the lengthy where Canal Saint-Denis and the Canal de l’Ourcq meet creating some wonderful waterfront trails.
* Great diversity here with more middle and upper middle class districts in the southern and eastern quadrants and more immigrant work class areas in the western and northern sectors.
* Solid public transit access.
* Only of Paris’ most hilly districts.
* Nice mix of architecture covering anywhere between the mid 1800s to the present age. Older parts of the district are in the Southwestern portions of the neighborhood.
* Solid urban density at 68K per sq mile pretty average for Paris. Neighborhood is actually at its peak population.
* Low amounts of Tourism here give one a very authentic Parisian experience.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Some churches but much less than other Parisian districts.
* Decent amount of grid in the more working class areas.
* Decent number unattractive modern buildings with not the best urban form.

Paris’ 17th Arrondissement- A Wonderfully Tourist Free District just beyond the Arc de Triompe

The 17th Arrondissement is divided into four administrative districts: Ternes and Monceau in the southwestern part (two upper-class districts which are more Haussmannian in style); in the middle is the tightly packed Batignolles district, a hip area experiencing significant gentrification; and in the northeastern part, the Épinettes district a former industrial district redeveloped residential with a mixture of middle class and working class immigrant families.

Other than the small area around the Arc de Triomphe, the 17th Arrondissement is largely a tourist free area as it lacks major destinations. This gives it a very authentic Parisian vibe where one can enjoy the district for  an excellent representative slice of Parisian life. The Parc Clichy-Batignolles/Martin Luther King Park is a wonderful redevelopment sight with an expansive and well designed modern park with excellent edgy modern apartment buildings rising around it similar to New York’s Highline. Yet the area is very much off the tourist path. Other highlights include the excellent Boulevard des Batignolles pedestrian promenade, the highly urban and mixed-use area between Ave de la Grande Armee and Rue de Courcelles, and the stunning Haussmannian architecture on the western half of the district and surrounding the excellent Parc Monceau.

The more working class eastern third of the 17th Arrondissement also hosts some wonderful urbanity mixing late 19th century architecture with modern mid century buildings. My only real critique of the neighborhood is that some of the mid-century neighborhoods are a bit gritty with uninspiring buildings and the Bd Peripherique (a highway) runs along the outer edge of the neighborhood. One hopes that the gentrification process never becomes total and complete in the eastern half of the district.

Click here to view my 17th Arrondissement on my Flickr Page

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Boulevard Pereire is a really nice park/promenade boulevard with fancy Parisian housing surrounding it.
* Several excellent business districts including: Ave des Ternes- Very high end street and fashionable commercial street; Rue de Courcelles- Incredible ornate and consistent beau arts architecture; Rue des Dames- alleyway biz district
* Parc Clichy-Batignolles/ Martin Luther-King: Very modern park but super interesting with very innovative park design and modern buildings surrounding it.
* Excellent mixed use area between Ave de la Grande Armee and Rue de Courcelles. High level of urbanity here with incredible Haussman architecture.
Batignolles-  subdistrict that surrounds both sides of the railroad tracks is home to narrow streets packed with shops, wine bars and eateries.
* Excellent pedestrian prominent within Boulevard des Batignolles. Greater node where it hits Place De Clichy.
* Ave de Clichy Av. de Saint-Ouen are solid biz districts along the Eastern edge of the district.
* Solid population density with 76K per square mile.
* Parc Monceau is on the southern border an excellent medium sized park. Some incredible architecture around the park.
* Good mix of high end neighborhoods on the western half and middle class/working class districts in the eastern half of the district.
* Several nice small-medium sized parks in the eastern half (i.e. Square des Batignolles, Square Ernest-Gouin, Square Jean Leclaire, & Square des Epinettes.
* Other than the immediate area surrounding the Arc de Triomphe, tourism is low.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Northeast sections of the district (i.e. Porte de Clichy, Porte de Saint-Ouen, and Epinettes) is pretty gritty with lots of uglier mid century buildings.
*  Highway runs along the outer edge of the neighborhood.

Paris’ 11th Arrondissement- Great Density and home to the Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation

The 11th Arrondissement is one of Paris’ most dense neighborhoods siting at just over 100K per square mile with a total population of 150K. The neighborhood actually peaked in 1911 with a total population of 250K! The 11th Arrondissement is less known to tourist than other more centrally located portions of Paris but has some well known landmarks such as the Place de la Bastille, Opera Bastille, Place de la Republic, and the popular Oberkampf district where the 2015 terrorist attacks occurred. Generally the western half of the 11th Arrondissement is more mixed-use with great cultural assets, cool arcades and passageways, and gorgeous Haussmannian architecture largely hosting single adults. The eastern half is more laid back and more family-oriented. The area hosts less ornate and more modern architecture but still  boast high quality urbanism.

Other areas to highlight in the 11th Arrondissement are the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, an active commercial district  full of fashionable cafés, restaurants, and nightlife, running along the district’s southern border; Rue de Charonne, a less known but quality business district that cuts through the middle of the neighborhood west to east; and the impressive Place de la Nation holding down the southeastern corner of the neighborhood .

Click here to view my 11th Arrondissement album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Great subway coverage here.
* One of Paris’ most dense districts at over 100K per square mile.
* Great concentration of arcades and small passage ways off the main street line with small shops. Much less touristy than passages of the 2nd and 9th Arrondissements. These are closed to Place de la Bastille.
* Largest open air market (Marche Bastille) set up along  Richard-Lenoir. Richard-Lenoirs becomes a great blvd park further north, the filled in remains of the old Canal Saint-Martin.
* Both famous plazas (Place de la Republique and Place de la Bastille) are in the 11th Arrondissement along the Western Edge. A lesser know but still great square (Place de la Nation) is along the Eastern Edge.
* Several nice gardens and parkettes (jardin Émile-Gallé, Jardin Damia, Square des Jardiniers, Square Maurice Gardette.
* Sizable middle class  family areas esp. in the eastern half away from the trendy parts of the district.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Architectural style is less spectacular as the buildings move to the mid century in the eastern half of the neighborhood but still very urban and decent styling.
* Some of the more mid-century buildings are tired and without green adornment and street trees.
* Less cultural opportunity in the southeastern portion of the neighborhood.

Paris’ 3rd Arrondissement- Known for its hôtels particuliers, gardens, elegance, and historic diverse communities

Development began in the 3rd Arrondissement in the 14th century when King Charles V drained the marshlands  “the Marsais”  included this area inside the new walls that protected the city. Charles V  also relocated the Royal Court to Hôtel Saint Paul in Le Marais (4th Arrondissement). This relocation prompted many important and wealthy people wishing to be near the King to built beautiful private mansions (hôtels particuliers) nearby, which explains the plethora of hotels particulars in Marsais. Several centuries later, the third arrondissement became home to 3 ethnic communities: Auvergne (from the French region of Auvergne), Jewish and Wenzhou Chinese community, the first Chinese community to arrive in Paris

The 3rd Arrondissement of Paris is divided into 4 neighborhoods: Quartier des Arts-et-Métiers, Quartier des Enfants Rouges, Quartier des Archives and Quartier Sainte-Avoye. the Temple Quarter.
– The name “Temple” comes from the Knights of Templar, the religious and military order who by the 14th century owned this area.
– Arts et Métiers Museum stands as a silent witness of this arts & crafts past in medieval times.
– Quartier des Enfants Rouge:  This district takes its name from the Hospice des Enfants-Rouges founded in 1536. In memory of this hospital-orphanage, the neighboring market of the Marais du Temple became the Marché des Enfants-Rouges.

Evidence of the historic Jewish quartier are still present in the 3rd Arrondissement by landmarks such as the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme and Jardin Anne-Frank. But the heart of the quarter is just to the south along the Rue de Rosiers in the 4th Arrondissement. 

Click here to view my Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Lovely array of 17th hotels [mansions:  hôtels de Soubise, Hotel Sale, Musée Cognac-Jay, Musée Carnavalet, Hôtel de Saint-Aignan] often turned into boutique museums and small and mediums plazas [Les jardins des Archives nationales, Parc de l’Hôtel Salé, Square du Temple, Square Émile-Chautemps, Square du General Morin, Square Georges-Cain, Square Léopold-Achille, Jardin Arnaud Beltrame typically the remanence of walled hotel yards.
* Wonderful architecture through the district mixing architecture from the 16th-19th centuries. Oldest than most Parisian districts.
* District contains half of the famous Plaza de la Republique.
* Much of “Le Marsais” district is contained in the 3rd one of Paris’ most elegant and preserved districts.
* Contains the city’s oldest market “Marché couvert des Enfants Rouges:
* One of Paris’ most dense districts with 75K per square mile.
* More unique district in Paris as its missing the large Haussmannian boulevards.
* Great night life amenities as well. Most of the district is mix use providing residents excellent access to retail amenities

URBAN WEAKESSES:

* Because of the historic marsh located in the district, subway stations are concentrated along the edges of the district and subway access is less dense than most parts of Paris.
* Decent amount of tourism but better than other tourist districts in Paris as the neighborhood has a large and dedicated population.