Sudbury is located on Ramsey Lake. Sudbury is a commercial, manufacturing, educational, and transportation center situated in a major nickel- and copper-mining area. Products include processed ore, chemicals, construction materials, foodstuffs, beverages, fabricated metal, machinery, and printed materials. A 2006 real estate survey has estimated the population of Sudbury, Ontario at 158,258.

Settlement of the community began in 1883, when the railroad was built and great mineral deposits were discovered in the area. It is named for Sudbury, England. Incorporated as a town in 1893 and as a city in 1930, Sudbury grew gradually until after World War II (1939-1945), when it began to expand rapidly. In the early 1980s Sudbury undertook one of the world's largest urban land-reclamation projects, for which it received numerous environmental awards. It actively diversified its economy in the 1980s and experienced growth in the health, financial, education, and tourism sectors.