Five soils with different levels of polycyclic aromatichydrocarbon (PAH) and metallic contamination weresampled from a former coke facility site located in the northof France. Among PAH-degrading microbiota,naphthalene-degraders were ubiquitous, whereasbacteria-degrading PAHs of more than two rings werepresent in only the polluted soils, in the range of 1% to 10%of the total microbiota. Phenotypic characterization ofPAH-degraders has revealed that several genera of bacteriaare well represented such asCorynebacterium,Arthrobacter, andPseudomonas. The diversity of thecultivable PAH-degrading bacterial community wasdependent on the type and pollution level of soil (textureand depth). An important toxicity was measured in thepolluted soils in relation to the combined effects of organicand metallic pollutions.