ECONOMIC PORT PAND NATURAL BEACH
The history of the city of Tarnos, which has more than 13,000 inhabitants, is closely linked to that of Adour. Until the Middle Ages, the river flowed into the ocean further north (Capbreton, Vieux Boucau). Tarnos became its estuary when the Bayonnais diverted the river and dammed the final mouth in 1578. The development of an industrial port (steelworks) enabled a major economic development from 1880 to 1965 and the employment of several thousand workers. Most of them lived in the Cité des Forges, now a protected area. Despite the recent introduction of new rolling mills, high-tech companies have now supplanted iron processing activity. But the “spearhead” of Tarnos is now the Social and Solidarity Economy since the city is home to the South Pole Aquitain, alongside the inter-company restaurant (SCIC L’Eole).
However, Tarnos offers a particularly preserved natural heritage. One distinguishes the district of the Barthes (wetlands on the edge of the Adour) from the typical Landes coastal zone (ocean, dune, pine forest, etc.). On sunny days, the beach, which is not very well laid out but is monitored in summer, allows you to play on the sand as well as in the waves. The trails and the bike path Vélodyssée under forest cover, facilitate the practice of hiking on the other side of the dune. The intercommunal stadium, skate park, squash club de l’Adour… complete the range of sports facilities.
But the most emblematic place of Tarnos is certainly its dike, which marks both the border between the Landes and the Basque Country and the entrance to the estuary of the Adour: a 1 km long concrete wall that plunges straight into the Atlantic Ocean. A short walk to its semaphore offers an extraordinary view of the Basque and Landes coasts.
The «Jazz en mars» festival is the culmination of a cultural program spread over the whole year. All that was missing was a media library that recently found its place at the foot of the city hall. The holiday village, the campsite, the cottages and bed and breakfasts allow to stay comfortably all year round. Finally, the secondary roads and the (tram)bus network with Bayonne and Biarritz facilitate access…
