With a population of almost 85,000, the Greater Castres-Mazamet Community is the major industrial and private research centre between Toulouse, Montpellier and Barcelona.
It is made up of 16 Communes.

The Greater Castres-Mazamet Community was established as from 1 January 2000 by prefectural decree dated 16 December 1999 (the first such to be created in the Midi-Pyrénées Region, and one of the first 50 to be created in France).

It is the outcome of the altered district that was itself created in 1993.

The Community headquarters are in the "Espace Ressources", at the intercommunal business site known as "Le Causse Espace d'Entreprises", a stone's throw from the airport, halfway between the two cities in the greater area.