Move to Orne, France’s leafy haven

Orne stands out from the crowd! As the only département in Normandy not to have a coastline, it makes its mark with unspoilt nature and outstanding facilities (road, digital and cultural). Lots of Parisians have made the move…

The best of both worlds: nature and connection

  • 2 regional nature parks : Perche Regional Nature Park and Normandy Maine Regional Nature Park
  • Over 90,000ha of woodland
  • 1338 €/m2 average house price in Orne
  • 10 telecentres for remote work
  • 15 train stations

Top 5 reasons to move and live in Orne

Cani-rando_au_depart_de_Saint-Ceneri Orne
Marie-Anais Thierry / CRT Normandie

01

The green riviera

Orne is one of the leafiest areas in the Grand-Ouest area of Normany. Do you want to escape to the country? This is the place for you!

Pause_bien_meritee__Domfront Orne
Coraline et Leo / CRT Normandie

02

Remote work heaven

With full fibre available throughout Orne by late 2023, a high standard 4G mobile network, 181 5G masts and 10 telecentres, it’s the perfect place to work out of the office with nature on your doorstep.

Centre_bourg_de_Domfront Orne
Coraline et Leo / CRT Normandie

03

Own your own home

A large house in a cute village, a beautiful home with a pool or an apartment in town: with average prices at 1332 € per square metre, you can find your happy place without breaking the bank!

Chateau_de_Domfront Orne
Thomas Le Floc H / CRT Normandie

04

Go at your own pace

Forget about racing against the clock here. The average commute time is 10-12 minutes and the area is full of infrastructures and shops. You’re never far from anything you need.

Dans_les_rues_de_Belleme Orne
Hello Travelers / CRT Normandie

05

In the middle of everything

Orne is in a prime location surrounded by several regions (Ile-de-France, Brittany, Loire-Atlantique) and cities such as Paris, Nantes, Rennes and Tours. It’s ideal for business and weekend getaways.

Set up your business in Orne stress-free

Do you want to set up your business or medical practice in Orne? There are lots of support systems in place to help you make the move. 

Teddy Verneuil / CRT Normandie
Campagne_au_Haras_du_Pin_Orne

What not to miss in Orne

The département is full of outstanding natural and heritage sites to explore on foot, by bike and on horseback!

Thomas Le Floc H / CRT Normandie

Haras National du Pin

The Versailles of horses is the oldest stud farm in France. On the agenda: tour of the grounds, château, competitions and horse shows.

Maxime Coquard Bestjobers / CRT Normandie

Perche

Countryside, forests (Bellême and Réno-Valdieu), manors, châteaux and traditional villages all within 2 hours of Paris. Perche is an adventure in itself. 

Coraline et Leo / CRT Normandie

Roche d’Oëtre

This 118m high belvedere deep in Suisse Normande gives hikers incredible views of the Gorges de la Rouvre. It’s the perfect place to reconnect with nature.

 Normandy Maine Regional Nature Park
The nature park straddles Normandy and Pays de la Loire and stands out for its woodland (covering 18% of the surface area). The majestic Forêt d’Écouves and enigmatic Forêt d’Andaine in Orne are part of the park.

Alençon

Orne’s biggest town is famous for its craftsmanship and lace. It’s also full of heritage, historical (Château des Ducs) and religious sites (Notre-Dame Basilica, the house where Saint Thérèse was born). 

Bagnoles-de-l’Orne

Fancy some me-time? Head to this unique spa resort in Normandy: spend the morning at the spa, the afternoon on the golf course and the evening playing poker at the casino.

Vue_sur_le_village_de_Moutiers-au-Perche Orne

Work in Orne, a hotbed for employment in Normandy

Orne owns its country nature and prides itself on its agility. Companies here have some real assets: major motorways (A88, A28), outstanding logistics and digital infrastructures, available real estate and business centres (Startech61). 

The département is home to over 26,000 businesses including a dozen that employ over 250 people i.e. the Charal food giant and Roval Cosmétiques (Anjac Health&Beauty Group). Local businesses plan to hire up to 10,000 employees in 2023 mainly in the services, manufacturing and construction industries. 

(* Normandy CCI 2019 figures)

The top sectors and companies recruiting

Farming & Food

Agriculture is still a key sector in Orne’s economy with the food industry coming close behind. The area is home to both long-standing SMEs with their fingers on the pulse (Fromageries Gillot, Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye) and major groups (Lactalis, Socopa, Ariake Japan) who are always looking for new talents.

Plastics

Orne has made a name for itself in the plastics industry with a training centre outside Alençon and major businesses based in the area (United Caps, Manuplast and Ercé Plasturgies) The future is bright for operators, project managers, regulators and designers here!

Automobile

The automobile industry is thriving in ORne with the NextMove business cluster, industrial research and innovation campus plus sub-contractors. Global brands such as FAURECIA and Magnetti Marelli being based here says it all. The sector is always on the lookout for fitters, panel beaters, engineers and more.

Tourism

It’s big business here with 2200 direct and indirect jobs in tourism and 190 million euros in turnover. Orne focuses its strategy on green and unspoilt tourism. Wait staff, chefs and tour operators have every opportunity here.

Study on a small and friendly campus in Orne

Over 5000 young adults study in Orne every year, mainly at Alençon University-Damigny Campus. The small and friendly campus has everything students could wish for: reasonable size, university library, student union and student residence. All that with the buzzing and bustling Alençon, Orne’s biggest city, on their doorstep!

Polyvia-plasturgie-alencon-etudiante-orne

Academic establishments

1 Université de Caen law department (law degree, notarial law degree and regional administration and council courses), Institut National Supérieur du Professorat et de l’Éducation, IUT Grand Ouest Normandie (13 bachelor degree courses), Polyvia formation (18 plastics sandwich courses), ScholarFab (management, business, sales, logistics, digital etc.)
2 CFA apprentice schools for industry, plastics and composite materials, R&D, 

3 nursing colleges (Alençon, Flers, L’Aigle)
IFRES de Normandie (massage, physiotherapy, pedicure, podiatry and occupational therapy courses), IRFSS (healthcare and domestic care)

16 colleges teaching BTS courses (UK equivalent of HND)
1 connected campus (Flers)

7 MFR colleges (farming) including one CFTA

What’s on in Orne

News

Visit the last sequin factory in France, Langlois-Martin, located in Orne

Let’s meet Jean-Baptiste Drachkovitch (on the right), co-director of Langlois-Martin, the last sequin manufacturer in France, alongside Pascal Bernard since 2010. The business was founded in 1919 and left the Paris area in September 2018 for Saint-Ouen-sur-Iton in Orne. The factory opened its doors to visitors for the first time as part of the European…

Anaïs CONNAN

Trail running in Normandy

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World-renowned testing centre at Normand’Innov in Orne

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Uncover the secrets behind Normandy’s organic AOP camembert!

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Haras National du Pin: Normandy’s iconic equestrian site

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Tertu: how Normandy is helping make roads safer around the world

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