Saint Etienne occupies a hilly location in the north-east quadrant of the Massif Central. It is less than a half-hour drive from the grand city of Lyon, and is seen as the gateway to the Massif Central from the north. The city is built on an American-like street design, and offers excellent modern amenities within a dramatic natural landscape of rolling hills and views out towards the Upper Loire Valley. If you're looking for French property in the Northeast Massif Central, then Saint Etienne is the place to start your search.
To the south-east of Saint Etienne is the Pilat Regional Nature Park. This is the main mountain area that separates the Rhone valley from the Loire Valley, and is dotted with many small hamlets and farms. The highest mountain ridge in the park is some 1432m above sea level, making the Park popular for outdoor pursuits - especially hiking and climbing. During the winter, snow may lay in this area for several weeks at a time.
Saint Etienne property in the town itself is quite varied. There are apartments, townhouses, new developments and even some types of Saint Etienne property that could be considered ripe for renovation. In the surrounding villages, property hunters will find more potential French property renovation projects. A two-bed village house in Genilac that would make an ideal renovation project was recently on the market for just 46,000 euros. But, if you don't fancy getting your hands dirty there are some exceptional low-maintenance villas to be found in the area too. A 6-bed chalet-style villa in France located close to St Chamond can be acquired for around 250,000 euros.
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