Located at three hours away from Paris by high speed train, Marseille offers sunshine year-round, the sea, a rising cultural and sports scene, and a real estate market that is more affordable than elsewhere (but on the rise). The city continues to attract more arrivals than departures, with people coming from all over but especially from the North.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been attracted to Marseille for its better quality of life, climate, natural spaces, and the opportunity to work remotely in larger homes. Marseille was once considered a dead end, with all institutions, headquarters, and power centralized in Paris. However, the city has seen a shift in its development, with Parisians and tourists now being drawn to it.
According to Marseille sociologist Jean Viard, the city has changed and is now desired by others. Graduates and qualified workers are moving there, bringing new codes and intellectual energy that was previously lacking. The region had two million inhabitants fifty years ago, but now it has surpassed five million, with Marseille overshadowing Nice in terms of attractiveness. The city now has more capacity to create than the hierarchical capital.
