The name of La Verpillière comes from the Latin word “vulpes” meaning “fox”, because in La Verpillière there were many foxes in the Middle Ages.

We find two foxes on the shield of the city, the first and the fourth images The second and the third images are dolphins on a golden background, because La Verpillière is in the Dauphiné, the land that was formerly held by the heir to the throne of France who was nicknamed the Dauphin—or “dolphin”.

La Verpillière is a town located in south-eastern France, just to the west of the Alps. It is in the Rhone-Alps region and in the department of the Isère. The main neighboring towns are Villefontaine, Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, L’Isle d’Abeau and Bonnefamille. Men who live in La Verpillière are called “Vulpilliens” and women are called “Vulpilliennes”.

During the Roman period, people mainly lived around a big swamp. There were three big areas: - Malatrait, an area for artisans; - Leman, which had a canal; - the largest residential area in the center.

At the beginning, La Verpillière was an agricultural village because there were many farmers who grew cereals like wheat and corn and who bred livestock. And people often went fishing in the nearby river called La Bourbre. Over time, it became a small town but there were no stores. In 1548, “Vulpes” took on the French name “La Verpillière”.

The village of La Verpillière was built around three towers and a small château. These three towers still exist. Today the local state school “Jean Jaurès” and a religious community are housed in the strong house, a large property dating from the late nineteenth century.

The town hall, the post office and the police station are the most important buildings and they form the town’s center. Today, there are many shops, including a pharmacy, bakers’, supermarkets, corner shops, hairdressers’ and a bookshop. There is also a beautiful park where children can play and kick a football around.

In 2009, 6 377 people were recorded as living in La Verpillière. It is a dynamic place to live with many clubs and societies and it is twinned with an Italian town in the Alps.

Apart from its residents, lots of people travel into La Verpillière because there is a railway station which sees 2 000 travelers every day. A considerable number of the town’s residents commute into Lyon to work. And there are several bus services that go via the station, thereby linking La Verpillière with the surrounding countryside and other towns in the north of the Isère. The railway station is situated in one of the better-off parts of the town, thereby attracting relatively prosperous families with high purchasing power.