Hi Sid, and welcome to the forum.

It will probably be easiest if you delay setting up a French bank account until after your arrival. Once you have your carte de séjour, you can simply set up an appointment with your choice of local bank, supply them with all the documents they ask for (identity, source of funds, etc.) and away you go.

If you try to set up an account before you move over, you'll be limited to a "foreigner" account which makes matters a bit more complicated. (And besides, I think in many banks you wind up having to open a new account once you get your resident status and close out the old foreigner account.)

Banking in France is not as "easy" as in the US. You usually have to pay to have Internet access to your account - and chances are you can't make Internet transfers directly between your US accounts and your French account. But you can set up a standing order with your US banks to transfer money regularly to your French bank. (Just be careful about the fees involved - they add up quickly and make it worthwhile to transfer larger sums less frequently.)

Keep us posted how your plans are coming.
Cheers,
Bev