After the Armenian Genocide of 1915 , many Armenians took refuge in France in the 1920s . The community remembers how Valence employers travelled to Marseille to recruit 150 of the first arrivals in 1922 . By 1926 827 Armenians had settled in Valence , and 1,670 by 1931 – from Bursa , Malatya and Harput . If the Armenians were popular among their employers , they encountered the distrust of the Valence people . It was a group with a very high proportion of young adults , children and the elderly who suffered most from the genocide and from the journey into exile . They worked mainly as labourers , or founded small businesses ( 25 % of employed persons ) . Very quickly , an " Armenian quarter " developed between '' Boulevard Vauban '' , '' Rue Farnerie '' , '' Rue Madier-Montjau '' , and the '' Boulevard d'Alsace '' , 40 % populated by Armenians . The entire old town , with dilapidated buildings , abandoned and inexpensive , became involved in this process
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Valence (city)