Loire was created in 1793 when theRhône-et-Loire département was split into two, about three years after it was created in 1790. This was a response tocounter-revolutionary activities inLyon which, by population, was the country's second largest city. By splitting Rhône-et-Loire thegovernment sought to protect theFrench Revolution from the potential power and influence of counter revolutionary activity in the Lyon region.
The Loire département roughly corresponds to the former province ofForez.
The inhabitants of the département are calledLigériens. The industrial city ofSaint-Étienne with itsagglomeration contains about half of the inhabitants of the département.[5]
