History of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Greater Sudbury, Ont, incorporated as a city in 2001... The judicial seat for the District of Sudbury, the City of Greater Sudbury lies 388 km north of Toronto at the crossroads of the TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY, highways 69 and 144, and the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific (CPR) railways. It replaced the former Regional Municipality of Sudbury that had been in existence since 1973. As a result of the 2001 amalgamation, the cities of Sudbury and VALLEY EAST and the towns of Capreol, Nickel Centre, Onaping Falls, RAYSIDE-BALFOUR and Walden also ceased to exist. Encompassing an area of 3307 km2, Greater Sudbury is one of the largest municipalities by area in Ontario...

Sudbury began its existence as a company town of the CPR. Surrounded by the boreal forests of the Canadian SHIELD, lumbering developed as the community's first major industry during the 1890s. The location of the townsite south of the Sudbury Basin, however, also encouraged its development as the local centre for the mining industry. Discovered during the construction of the CPR main line, the Sudbury Basin constitutes a 60 km by 27 km oval-shaped geological structure surrounded by a nickel irruptive consisting of a rocky rim rich in minerals.

Despite the fact that no mines were within its borders, Sudbury evolved as the dominant urban centre for the region. Also within the basin was a fertile valley that attracted large numbers of French-speaking farmers.