Demography continues to climb in Loire-Atlantique. The department attracts and the population increases by about 1.2% on average each year. Its population growth is even the third highest in France, behind Gironde and Haute-Garonne. At the antipodes of this phenomenon, the municipality of
Juigne-des-Moutiers caps at 341 inhabitants according to the latest data
Insee from January 1, 2021. A figure which makes it the least populated city in Loire-Atlantique.
In this village located in the north of the department, not far from Châteaubriant and Maine-et-Loire, fields and forest occupy the majority of the landscape. “It is true that it does not move much. The village even loses a few inhabitants. But we are quiet here, I prefer to be in the countryside, ”explains Michel, 71 years old. Based in Juigné-des-Moutiers since 1975, he worked for a long time in the public works company Hervé TP, whose headquarters are located at the entrance of the village. A family company that largely sustains the Loire town. “Many residents have worked or work in this company. There is work in the area, that’s not the problem, ”says Brigitte Maison, mayor of Juigné.
” I’m not fine ! It’s the asshole of the world! »
A function of city councilor that this retired doctor has held since 2020. Here, the current affairs of the mayor are very different, and require a particular commitment. “When you are a small town like ours, you have few municipal staff. If someone can’t provide after-school care, I’ll take care of it. With the Covid, it is frequent. I found myself working in the canteen,” says Brigitte Maison. “It is sure that it is not like for Johanna Rolland[maire de Nantes], you have to be available to deal with everything”.
Because despite its small population, the village has a private school. With an average of 32 pupils per year, the primary school has two classes with four levels each. A very small school, then. But a place of life. And that’s what makes it strong according to its director, Stéphanie Bruneau, who works alongside another teacher: “That’s what suits me. Here, the inhabitants speak the same language. I bonded with the parents. When I wanted to work here, I was told: “It’s not okay! It’s the asshole of the world!” Agreed, but the quality of work is beyond measure”. A family side in the village which, even if it can have drawbacks, “makes things easier” according to her. “Besides, I never have tears at the start of the school year here. Because it is a microcosm”.
Merge? No way !
Along the rue de la Mairie where the school is located, a few recent buildings are visible, very close to the only two housing estates in the village. A library is open a few hours a week. The new community hall runs along the school, and games have been built in front of the school. On the other hand, the small town center is very empty. No service: no post office, pharmacy or ATM. No more shops have been open since 2020 and the closure of the bread depot. The opening of a multi-services business has become the No. 1 project of the mandate. “There is no bakery. When I was young, there were three cafes in the town,” regrets a resident. The car is therefore a priority good for Juignéans, who generally go shopping in Pouancé or Châteaubriant.
So why not merge with other municipalities in the area, as more and more municipalities are doing? A hypothesis rejected by the majority of the inhabitants. “We want to remain independent, we want to keep our identity,” retorted the mayor of this town, which has the particularity of having placed Marine Le Pen at the top of the vote during the 2012 and 2017 presidential elections. As proud to live in the smallest commune of Loire-Atlantique, the inhabitants of Juigné-des-Moutiers lay claim to the countryside. No question of growing. Juigné is their village, and they want it.
“There is no shortage of space, all the houses have a large garden,” says Michel, who lives in one of the two housing estates. The mayor concludes: “The inhabitants breathe here, far from the pollution”. In a department where most towns are constantly growing, constantly looking for new land to build on, the Loire village stands out as a symbol of rurality.