Auterrive

Auterrive is a French commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Aquitaine region of south-western France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Auterriverains or Auterriveraines.

Geography

Auterrive is located some 14 km south-east of Peyrehorade and 7 km west of Salies-de-Béarn. Access to the commune is by the D29 road from Carresse-Cassaber in the north which passes just west of the village and continues south-west to Labastide-Villefranche. Access to the village is by local roads connecting to the D29. The D28 road goes south from Saint-Dos through the west of the commune and continues to Escos in the south. The D277 goes from the D29 just west to the village west to Saint-Dos. Apart from forest along the river bank and some small forests in the west of the commune the land is all farmland.

Auterrive is a Gascon village, which fully depended on Dax and is nowhere mentioned as Bearnais. Paul Raymond reported a record from 1675 when the village was referred to as Autarrive en France. Pierre-Tucoo Chala indicated a peculiarity concerning Carresse-Cassaber: the Auterrive bridge is not on the border but Gascony had a bridgehead on the right bank of the Gave d'Oloron on what is now the territory of the Béarnais village of Carresse. This area did not touch the river at the bridge and purists could say that the béarnais commune of today has incorporated a few hectares of Gascon land.