Sudbury was officially incorporated as a town in 1883 and later as a city in 1930. Beginning as a lumber camp, the region was initially named Sainte-Anne-de-Pins (St. Anne of the Pines). Excavation during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) showed exceptionally high concentrations of nickel-copper ore in the city. Consequently, the city grew rapidly as a mining town, and was renamed Sudbury in honour of the CPR commissioner’s wife’s English hometown. Sudbury became Greater Sudbury on January 1st, 2001, following the amalgamation of many local townships.

Today Greater Sudbury is home to the largest integrated mining complex in the world and has evolved into a dynamic and diverse regional capital- the centre of government, education, healthcare, business and financial services for northeastern Ontario.

With a population of 158,000, the City of Greater Sudbury is the largest city in Northern Ontario. It covers an area of 3,627 sq km (1,400 sq mi.) – about two thirds the size of Prince Edward Island. There are a total of 330 fresh water lakes within the city-more lakes than any other municipality in Canada. Sudbury has the third largest francophone population in Canada outside of Quebec.