Cherbourg-en-Cotentin was built at the head of a sheltered roadstead, at the northern tip of the Cotentin peninsula, a maritime position that shaped the city. The naval port and the dockyard, developed from the eighteenth century onwards, made Cherbourg a major naval base and the leading employer in the area. The artificial roadstead, one of the largest in the world, protects the commercial and marina basins that structure the seafront.
The present commune is a new commune, created on 1 January 2016 from the merger of five communes: Cherbourg-Octeville, the central town, Équeurdreville-Hainneville to the west, Tourlaville to the east, La Glacerie to the south and Querqueville to the west. With about 78 000 residents, it is the largest city in the Manche, a sub-prefecture of the department whose administrative seat is Saint-Lô. The station, on the Paris-Caen-Cherbourg line, places the city about 3 hours from Paris.
The geography of prices follows that history of merger: the central districts of Cherbourg-Octeville, around the theatre and the basins, form the top of the market alongside Saint-Sauveur, while the large estates on the heights, such as Les Provinces in Octeville, offer the most affordable levels. The former communes of Tourlaville, Équeurdreville and La Glacerie keep distinct markets, dominated by houses.
