[2] With its ornate 19th-century buildings, large avenues, prestigious schools, museums, and various parks, the 16th arrondissement has long been known as one of French high society's favourite places of residence (comparable to London's Kensington and Chelsea or Berlin's Charlottenburg)[3] to such an extent that the phrase le 16e has been associated with great wealth in French popular culture.

[4] The 16th arrondissement hosts several large sporting venues, including: the Parc des Princes, which is the stadium where Paris Saint-Germain football club plays its home matches; Roland Garros Stadium, where the French Open tennis championships are held; and Stade Jean-Bouin, home to the Stade Français rugby union club.

"[5] The land area of this arrondissement is 16.305 km2 (6.295 sq mi or 4,029 acres), slightly more than half of which consists of the Bois de Boulogne park.

The 16th arrondissement is commonly thought to be one of the richest parts of Paris (as the saying Auteuil-Neuilly-Passy popularised); it features some of the most expensive real estate in France including the famous Auteuil "villas";[note 1] heirs to 19th century high-society country houses, they are exclusive gated communities with huge houses surrounded by gardens, which is extremely rare in Paris.

At the 2017 French presidential election, it gave over 58% of its votes in the first round to right-wing candidate François Fillon, compared to his national result of 20%.

Notable companies that have their head offices in the arrondissement include Lacoste, PSA Peugeot Citroën and Lagardère.

[8][9][10][11] In one of the opening scenes of the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball, character Emilio Largo is seen arriving at the headquarters of The International Brotherhood for the Assistance of Stateless Persons.