La Goutelle is a commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Puy-de-Dôme

Puy-de-Dôme

Puy-de-Dôme is a department in the centre of France named after the famous dormant volcano, the Puy-de-Dôme.Inhabitants were called Puydedomois until December 2005...

 department in Auvergne

Auvergne (région)

Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...

 in central France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Geography

La Goutelle is situated some 30km west of Clermont Ferrand, on the old N141 running from Royan on the Atlantic coast all the way across France. The road, now renamed the D941, has lost its national importance but still remains the principal route linking Clermont Ferrand to Limoges.

Economy

La Goutelle is part of the canton of Pontgibaud, and like Pontgibaud relied on mining as its major source of income until the early 20th Century. Nowadays milk production, forestry, passing trade for its bars and restaurants and the export of labour to Clermont Ferrand and the Ancizes form La Goutelle's economy. La Goutelle has managed to retain several shops, bars and restaurants and has a regionally renowned boulangerie. La Goutelle has a municipal campsite though it only tends to be occupied in the weeks surrounding the Fete Patronale

Population

The 2010 census reported a population of 610 inhabitants in La Goutelle (with 520 registered voters, not all full time residents). More than 20 of La Goutelle's constituent "villages" are inhabited. Le Bourg has around 250 inhabitants. Ossebet, Ballot, Salmondeche are the larger outlying villages.

Culture

It shares primary school services with neighbouring St. Jacques d'Ambur and has joined the "communité de communes" Pontgibaud, Sioule & Volcans in 2010. Its football team is currently incorporated into Association Sportive Pontgibaud - La Goutelle. Although all home games are played at La Goutelle, the last Goutellois player left the club in 2007. ASPLG went into "sommeil" ("sleep" - a temporary suspension)at the end of the 2009/2010 season. In common with most of the villages of the Combrailles, there is an active Comité des Fetes which amongst other responsibilities, runs the Fete Patronale - always the first weekend of August (2010, 30th July to 2nd August).

Administration

The mayor is Jean BOUCHERET, 1nd Adjoint Maurice MARTIN, 2rd Adjoint Jean-Francois MARCHEIX and 3rd Adjoint Stephane NEBUS. La Goutelle was one of the many French communes to elect an Englishman to the town council in 2008. The Maire-Adjoint, Michel BONNAFOUX, resigned in somewhat acrimonious circustances in 2009.