Cachan
Commune
Cachan in the foreground, with the Medici Aqueduct in the background, and Paris beyond
Coat of arms
Paris and inner ring departments
Location of Cachan
Cachan Show map of France Cachan Show map of Île-de-France (region)
Coordinates: 48°47′31″N 2°19′55″E / 48.7919°N 2.3319°E / 48.7919; 2.3319
Country	France
Region	Île-de-France
Department	Val-de-Marne
Arrondissement	L'Haÿ-les-Roses
Canton	Cachan
Intercommunality	Grand Paris
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Hélène de Comarmond[1] (PS)
Area 1	2.78 km2 (1.07 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	30,592
• Density	11,000/km2 (29,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	94016 /94230
Elevation	43–108 m (141–354 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Cachan (French pronunciation: [kaʃɑ̃] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 6.7 km (4.2 mi) from the center of Paris.

The prestigious École Spéciale des Travaux Publics is located there.

Name

During the Middle Ages, Cachan was referred to in Medieval Latin texts as Caticantum, later corrupted into Cachentum, Cachant, and then Cachan. Some understand Caticantum as meaning "singing of the cat", "mewing of the cat", but this is not certain. Some others see a connection with the verb "to hunt" (captiare in Vulgar Latin, chacier in Old French).

History

Cachan was originally a hamlet within the commune of Arcueil, later renamed Arcueil-Cachan. The commune of Cachan was created on 26 December 1922 when it seceded from the commune of Arcueil-Cachan, which was renamed back to Arcueil.

Population

Neighboring communes

• Arcueil - north
• Villejuif - east
• L'Haÿ-les-Roses - southeast
• Bourg-la-Reine - southwest
• Bagneux - west

Transport

Cachan is served by two stations on Paris RER line B: Arcueil–Cachan and Bagneux.

Education

Primary schools:^[5]

• Six public preschools (écoles maternelles): Belle Image, Carnot, Coteau, Paul-Doumer, La Plaine, and Pont-Royal
• Five public elementaries: Belle Image, Carnot, Coteau, Paul-Doumer, La Plaine
• One private preschool and elementary: École Saint-Joseph

Secondary schools:^[6]

• Public junior high schools: Collège Victor-Hugo and Collège Paul-Bert
• Private junior high: Collège Saint-Joseph
• Public high schools/sixth-form colleges: Lycée Gustave Eiffel, Lycée Maximilien Sorre, Le foyer de Cachan