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Imperia: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Imperia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Search for an address in Imperia

The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.

For example: Via Dante 7, Milan.

Imperia, two harbour towns joined into one

Imperia was created in 1923 by joining two towns on the Ligurian Sea, Oneglia and Porto Maurizio, which lie on either side of the Impero stream that gave the new city its name. The two halves are still easy to tell apart. This is the Riviera di Ponente, in Liguria's westernmost province on the border with France, where olive groves climb the hills behind the coast and the olive oil trade long drove Oneglia's economy.

With 42,490 residents at the end of 2023, Imperia is only the second-largest municipality in its own province, holding 20.3% of its population. Numbers are stable compared with 2011 (+0.4%). The estimated average age is 47.8, slightly below the provincial 48.7, and 26.9% of residents are over 65, lower than Liguria's 29%. Foreign nationals account for 16.6%.

The figure that deserves the closest look is seismic. Imperia is in zone 2, the second-highest of Italy's four hazard classes, while across the province zone 2 covers 30 of 66 municipalities. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.149 g, just under the national threshold that separates zone 3 from zone 2. This coast has suffered destructive earthquakes before, notably in 1887, so buyers should ask when a building went up, how its structure is made and whether it has been strengthened.

Cadastral maps are available, and the report identifies the sheet and parcel (foglio and particella) from the address. Between the seafront, steep hillsides and stream valleys, landslide and flood hazard can change a great deal over short distances: the report checks it at the exact location and shows prices as a range for the zone.

Key points

  • Created in 1923 by merging Oneglia and Porto Maurizio.
  • Second-largest municipality in its province: 42,490 residents.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.149 g.
  • Landslide and flood hazard to be checked address by address.

Overview

Imperia is the capital of the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 42,490 residents, the second most populous in the province. 20% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Imperia is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 30 of 66 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.149 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Imperia, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood risk changes from one street to the next, even within the same municipality: for this reason we do not summarise it as a single figure for the whole of Imperia.

The report checks the exact address against the ISPRA national maps and tells you in plain words whether the building falls within an at-risk area. The official map is also available on IdroGEO.

House prices

We do not publish price tables by municipality. The report gives the minimum and maximum price per square metre for the address's zone, from the Revenue Agency's OMI valuations, with the reference half-year. It is a range for the zone, not the value of a specific home.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 16.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Imperia has 36 schools and 13 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 26 grocery shops and supermarkets, 31 healthcare facilities and 40 sports facilities.

There are 0.6 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.9).

This data is gathered from several providers: services may be missing or closed businesses may still appear. The report counts services within 500 metres and 1 kilometre of the address.

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

Land registry

The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps for Imperia: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

Data sources

ISTAT code 008031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.