By the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV, conditions were forcing many people to leave Agen to look for a better life in Bordeaux or even overseas in "the Americas" and this tendency only increased as the century progressed. 
However, from 1750 onward, things began to improve. Building projects started up again, with a flurry of activity between 1770 and 1780. By the end of the century, the success of the bourgeois classes led to a transformation of Agen. The town expanded and the old ramparts were gradually demolished. 
Boulevards were built and public lighting was installed. The main public project was the development of the "Gravier", outside the old ramparts, into an area for public recreation.

Local dignitaries built mansions and townhouses, of which the most important was the Bishop's Palace, which now houses the Préfecture. 
Industry expanded, particularly the weaving industry, and Agen became famous for its sailcloth, which was exported throughout the world via the Garonne and the new Canal du Midi, which gave access to the Mediterranean.
Agriculture remained the source of commercial activity and was still the basis for Agen's wealth in the 18th century. 

The expansion of the concepts of liberty, equality and fraternity took hold among the lay people. Music and Science and the voice of Reason were celebrated. Clergy championed Freedom of the Press and the safety of the individual. Yet the privileged life of the aristocracy continued….
The social and economic changes brought about by the Revolution had little outward effect on the town. The last of the ramparts disappeared. Ecclesiastical buildings were sold to private individuals. 
When the department's boundaries were fixed by law in 1790, the Lot-et-Garonne was still referred to as "one of the most fertile and possibly most densely populated areas of France". But Agen was at the end of its golden age. A gradual decline in population and industrial power was setting in.