Other main towns: Compiègne, Creil, Nogent-sur-Oise
Oise, in the Hauts-de-France region, looks south to Paris for inspiration, with parts of the department serving as far-flung suburbs of the capital.
It is named after the river Oise, which also flows south, joining the Seine just north of Paris.
The department forms part of the 'breadbasket of France' thanks to its largely flat farmland dominated by green pastures.
Numerous streams and rivers, most with trees and pretty foot and cycle paths along them, break the fields.
As Paris property prices have risen, the population of the Oise department has risen too, as people accept that a commute into the city is a fair price to pay for a cheaper or bigger home.
The department benefits from the extension of the suburban railway network from Paris, with line D of the RER network covering five stations in the south, including Chantilly, famous for its chateau, sweet whipped cream and its lace.
There are also four lines of the Transilien rail network which pass through the department.
Air passengers booking cheap flights to and from Paris might occasionally find themselves at Paris-Beauvais international airport, which is close to Beauvais and 70 km from Paris.
Airport buses to and from the airport are found at Paris-Porte Maillot bus terminal and also at Amiens-Gare station to the north of the department.
Drivers usually arrive or pass through the department by two autoroutes. The A16 runs from just outside Paris, passes by Beauvais, and heads on to Amiens before running slightly west to the coast where it ends in Calais. Further east, the A1 runs not far from Creil, and is the main road to Lille, Belgium and the north of Europe.
The two autoroutes are joined by the east/west N31 which join the main towns of Compiègne, Clermont and Beauvais.
In spite of the proximity to Paris, there are a few properties advertised for less than €50,000 in the department.
Most are small farm cottages or barns, which are in need of conversion, love and attention, but there are occasional surprises, like two joined in an L brick-built houses, with features such as curved wooden staircases and boat-beam timbers apparent in the converted loft, with an asking price of €38.780 for the two.
A reflection of the property market too is the low level of second homes in the department, at around 1% of housing stock. For people with bigger budgets, more than 1,000 suburban villas or brick-built townhouses are on the market for under €200,000.
Large houses with gardens are found for over €1 million, the Paris effect meaning that they are five times the price of similar houses in south-west France.
Over €1 million
Cubist house in Lamorlaye
This Cubist-inspired architect designed house has four bedrooms, and a total living space of 255m2. Much attention was put into getting as much light into the house as possible, with patio windows in most rooms having a view over the 3,853 m2 grounds, where mature trees have been left to make a private park.
There is a double garage and a purpose-built wine cellar. The house is in the commune of Lamorlaye, just to the south of Chantilly, and is 5km from Chantilly-Gouvieux station with a service to Paris, and 30km from Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport.
Asking price is €1.09 million. Visit seloger.com Ref: lamorlaye-60/est/222533041
Under €155,000
Three-bedroom house in Ferrières
Built out of brick with stone details in the 1920s, this three-bedroom, 136m2 living space house in the village of Ferrières in the north of the department.
The roof has been fixed, and a new oil-fuelled boiler was installed 13 years ago, but the rest of the house has not been touched for years, meaning there is great potential for a renovation which will be able to keep original fixtures which remain.
There is a cellar, a large garden of 2,000m2, and a large brick garage, nearly as large as the house. Asking price is €150,000. Visitseloger.comRef: 60/225721753
Under €40,000
House in Ricquebourg
This slightly odd property of 83m2 living space, is made up of two flats, one above the other with a courtyard at the back shared with another property, a small garden and three outbuildings.
The first flat, upstairs, has a main room with a chimney, with a mezzanine sleeping platform, bathroom and a smaller room, with a downstairs kitchen.
The second, with a main room to the garden, has a lounge with a wood stove, kitchen, bathroom, mezzanine, conservatory and second room.
With a street side exterior which looks like an ordinary little house, the interior has details such as exposed curved beams, wooden circular staircase and a large tub/shower in the main bathroom.
It is in Ricquebourg, in the north of the department, and the asking price is €38,780.
