Castelsarrasin

Castelsarrasin (French pronunciation: [kastɛlsaʁazɛ̃] ^ⓘ; Occitan: Los Sarrasins) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in Occitanie region of France. The inhabitants are called Castelsarrasinois. It is the second most populous commune in Tarn-et-Garonne after Montauban. It is served by Castelsarrasin station on the Bordeaux-Toulouse line.

The town is also the seat of the Communauté de communes Terres des Confluences.

The Castelsarrasin urban area had 27,861 inhabitants in 2017, making it the 23rd largest urban area in the new Occitanie region. It is, respectively, the central city and the central commune of an urban unit and an area of influence. With a municipal population of 14,343 (2023), Castelsarrasin is the second largest town in the department by population, after Montauban and ahead of Moissac.

Castelsarrasin is located on a major transport route linking Bordeaux and the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest, and Narbonne and the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast, all via Toulouse. This important axis is notably marked by the A62 autoroute, which bypasses the city center to the northeast before reaching Castelsarrasin via an exit near the Artel industrial park. Like Agen's, Castelsarrasin's city center is unique in that it is bordered on both sides by the Garonne River and the Garonne Lateral Canal, which is part of the Canal des Deux Mers.

Although Castelsarrasin is not part of Toulouse's metropolitan area, it appears to be strongly influenced by this nearby conurbation of approximately 1.4 million inhabitants, as is the Tarn-et-Garonne department in general.

Most residents of the city and much of its surrounding area refer to it by the diminutive "Castel." Its inhabitants are called Castelsarrasinois.