Raismes

The Société Franco-Belge was a Franco-Belgian engineering firm that specialised in the construction of railway vehicles and their components and accessories. The company originated in 1859 as the Belgian firm Compagnie Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériels de Chemins de Fer, founded by Charles Evrard. The company expanded its share capital in 1881 forming a new firm Société Anonyme Franco-Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériel de Chemins de Fer and constructed a factory in Raismes (Valenciennes) in the Département Nord in France. In 1927, the company split into a Belgian (Société Anglo-Franco-Belge, SAFB) and a French company (Société Franco-Belge). The company's factories were occupied during World War I, during which period it was used as a sawmill, and during World War II, during which period it manufactured Kriegslokomotives. SAFB merged with the Ateliers Germain in 1964; the company closed in 1968 due to lack of work. The Franco-Belge (based in Raismes) was acquired by Alstom in 1982, as of 2012 the factory Alstom Petite-Forêt, Valenciennes operates as an Alstom subsidiary, specialising in metros, trams, and double deck trains, A test track Centre d'Essais Ferroviaire is located west of the Raismes factory.

The Compagnie des mines d'Anzin (Anzin Mining Company) was a large French mining company in the coal basin of Nord-Pas-de-Calais in northern France. It was established in 1756 and operated for almost 200 years. The company used innovative pumping technology to support deep mining operations in the rich bituminous coalfield. At its peak in the mid-19th century it was one of the largest industrial enterprises in France, with about 12,000 miners. Émile Zola visited the region during a strike in 1884 which he used as the basis for his novel Germinal. The work was dangerous and unhealthy, but the company paid the miners well compared to other industries, provided housing, welfare and pensions, and sponsored social activities. The mines reached their peak of prosperity before World War I (1914–18), but were badly damaged during the war. They struggled to regain profitability in period leading up to World War II (1939–45). The mines were nationalized in 1946. Many were closed in the 1970s and 1980s. The last ceased operation in 1990. The landscape has been partly restored but traces of mining such as slag heaps, ponds and railway cuttings remain, and a few heritage sites have been preserved.

Beuvrages (French pronunciation: [bøvʁaʒ]) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.

Petite-Forêt (French pronunciation: [pətit fɔʁɛ], literally Little Forest) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.

The canton of Anzin is an administrative division of the Nord department, northern France. Its borders were modified at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Anzin.It consists of the following communes: Anzin Beuvrages Bruay-sur-l'Escaut Escautpont Fresnes-sur-Escaut Onnaing

Anzin (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃zɛ̃]; older Dutch: Ansingen; West Flemish: Ansingn) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt, 2.4 kilometres (1+1⁄2 mi) northwest of Valenciennes, of which it is a suburb.

Aubry-du-Hainaut (French pronunciation: [obʁi dy ɛno]) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.

Communauté d'agglomération Valenciennes Métropole is the communauté d'agglomération, an intercommunal structure, centred on the city of Valenciennes. It is located in the Nord department, in the Hauts-de-France region, northern France. It was created in December 2000. Its area is 263.5 km2. Its population was 192,787 in 2018, of which 43,405 in Valenciennes proper.

Valenciennes station (French: Gare de Valenciennes) is a French railway station serving the town of Valenciennes, Nord, France.

The Rhonelle is a river of northern France. It is 32 km (20 mi) long. It is a right tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is near Locquignol. It flows generally northwest along Le Quesnoy, Villers-Pol and Famars. It flows into the Scheldt in Valenciennes.

La Sentinelle (French pronunciation: [la sɑ̃tinɛl]) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.

The canton of Valenciennes is an administrative division of the Nord department, northern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Valenciennes.It consists of the following communes: Saint-Saulve Valenciennes