Formerly the capital of the eponymous county, the municipality of Foix is today the prefecture of the Ariège department. Home to almost 9,500 inhabitants (2019) called Fuxéens, the locality constitutes a significant tourist center in the department thanks to its medieval heritage linked to the Cathar era. The streets of the old town center of Foix still bear witness to this past with the half-timbered facades of their houses, their squares and fountains, and the 9th-century abbey. The second most populated town in the department, Foix covers an area of 7.46 square miles (19.32 km²).