Etang-Salé

L’Étang-Salé is located in the southwest of Réunion Island. The two neighboring towns of L’Étang-Salé are Les Avirons and Saint Louis. L’Étang-Salé is divided into two parts: L’Étang-Salé les Hauts and L’Étang-Salé les Bains. As the name suggests, "Les Bains" is by the ocean, while "Les Hauts" is located further inland, at a higher altitude. One of the advantages of L’Étang-Salé is its location. It allows you to reach Saint Pierre, the largest town in the south, in about ten minutes, or Saint Paul and the west in around twenty minutes.

There are several access points to the dual carriageway from L’Étang-Salé, making it easy to travel to other parts of the island.

Why this name?

L’Étang-Salé gets its name from the small pond that the sea once formed just behind the old train station, where the tourist office now stands. The pond gradually dried up.

Its inhabitants are called the "Étang-Saléens" or the "Dominicains" due to the Saint-Dominique parish.

Among the youth, it is common to hear them refer to "Les Hauts" and "Les Bains" without mentioning L’Étang-Salé.

What is its history?

The town remained uninhabited until 1719. Until September 1885, L’Étang-Salé was part of the commune of Saint-Louis. In 1887, the population of L’Étang-Salé, numbering 2,950 residents, wanted to separate from Saint-Louis.

After a transitional period of nine years, the decree of January 8, 1894, enacting the law of June 11, 1893, established L’Étang-Salé as a separate commune.

Between 1719 and 1722, the first land grants in L’Étang-Salé were given to the brothers Louis and Etienne Cadet, as well as to Joseph Rivière, in the area known as Ravine Sèche.

The first inhabitants settled mainly in Ravine Sèche. Agriculture was their only resource. A few families lived in the village of Les Bains and survived through fishing.

When the parishes of Rivière Saint-Etienne and Rivière d’Abord were created, Father Carré held mass in a straw hut in Ravine Sèche. In 1859, the Saint-Dominique parish was separated from Saint-Louis.

In 1882, the opening of the railway line gave a boost to the village and marked the first development of the lower area.

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