Praz-de-Fort, at an altitude of 1,150 m, used to be the main village in the valley. Combined with the hamlets of Le Chanton and Le Revers, it was and is the main population concentration in the valley. This was the reason that Praz-de-Fort was chosen as location for a chapel to be constructed for the lower Val Ferret over Issert and Les Arlaches. For a long time, Praz-de-Fort was the highest permanently inhabited settlement in the valley. The importance of the village was illustrated by the fact that once it had two small convenience stores and a hotel. That now is history, and even the local pub has been sitting empty for many years. The place was revived in 2018 as Le Portalet and functions as café and restaurant.
Praz-de-Fort is situated on both sides of the Dranse de Ferret, with a bridge connecting the two parts. A few characteristic alpine houses and a collection of old barns and sheds define the shape of the village core. The relatively large chapel is situated on the northern edge of the village core. The Le Chanton and Le-Revers hamlets, both in the immediate vicinity of Praz-de-Fort, have several authentic buildings.
The area of Saleinaz, just south of Praz-de-Fort, has been developed into a residential area with free standing houses since the 1970s. Initially dominated by secondary houses, the area became more important for commuters after 2000. Total permanent population of Praz-de-Fort combined with Saleinaz, Le Rever and Le Chanton was 291 as of January 1st 2020.
