Colombes () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2019, Colombes was the 53rd largest city in France. Name The name Colombes comes from Latin columna (Old French colombe), meaning "column". This is interpreted as referring either to a megalithic column used in ancient times by a druidic cult which stood in Colombes until its destruction during the French Revolution, or to the columns of an atrium in a ruined Gallo-Roman villa that also stood in Colombes. History On 13 March 1896, 17% of the territory of Colombes was detached and became the commune of Bois-Colombes (literally "Colombes Woods"). On 2 May 1910, 19% of the (reduced) territory of Colombes was detached and became the commune of La Garenne-Colombes. Thus, the commune of Colombes is now only two-thirds the size of its territory before 1896. The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Colombes proper, in its geography at the given years. Population Geography Climate Colombes has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Colombes is . The average annual rainfall is with May as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Colombes was on 6 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 17 January 1985. Administration The city is divided into two cantons: Colombes-1 (north) Colombes-2 (south) Transport Colombes is served by four stations on the Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare suburban rail line at Colombes, Le Stade, La Garenne-Colombes and Les Vallées. Education The commune has 21 preschools and 19 elementary schools. Secondary schools: Junior high schools: Robert Paparemborde, Marguerite Duras, Gay Lussac, Moulin Joly, Jean-Baptiste Clément, Lakanal Senior high schools: Lycée Guy de Maupassant, Lycee Polyvalent Claude Garamont, Lycee Polyvalent Anatole de France Personalities Quilapayún, Chilean music group forced into exile in France after the 1973 Coup. They settled in Colombes. Jordan Aboudou, basketball player Lens Aboudou, basketball player Josue Albert, footballer Bryan Alceus, footballer Mame-Ibra Anne, athlete Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, footballer Kelly Berville, footballer Zoumana Camara, footballer Pierre Clayette, artist Mathieu Cossou, karateka Simone Jorry, deaf/hoh rights activist Marie-Antoinette Katoto, footballer Claude Mérelle, actress Eliaquim Mangala, footballer Samuel Nadeau, basketball player Alexandre Postel (born 1982), writer Steven Nzonzi, footballer Kevin Thalien, basketball player