Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie
City of Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, with downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in the background
Nicknames: 
Motto: 
"Naturally Gifted"
Sault Ste. Marie
Coordinates: 46°33′32″N 84°20′49″W / 46.55889°N 84.34694°W / 46.55889; -84.34694
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
DistrictAlgoma
Founded1668
IncorporatedJuly 29, 1871 (village)
April 23, 1887 (town)
April 16, 1912 (city)
Government
  TypeMayor–council
  MayorMatthew Shoemaker
  CouncilSault Ste. Marie City Council
  MPTerry Sheehan (Liberal)
  MPPChris Scott (PC)
Area
  Land223.24 km2 (86.19 sq mi)
  Urban
53.05 km2 (20.48 sq mi)
  Metro
805.60 km2 (311.04 sq mi)
Elevation
192 m (630 ft)
Population
 (2021)
  City (single-tier)
72,051
  Density324.6/km2 (841/sq mi)
  Metro
76,731
  Metro density95.6/km2 (248/sq mi)
DemonymSaultite
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Forward sortation area
Area code(s)705, 249, 683
Websitesaultstemarie.ca
CA rank: 46th in Canada
Municipal rank: 66th in Canada

Sault Ste. Marie (/ˈs snt məˈr/ SOO-saynt-mə-REE) is a city in northern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of the St. Mary's River directly across from its "twin city," Sault Ste. Marie, in the state of Michigan. The city's population was 72,051 at the 2021 census, making it the third most populous city in northern Ontario.

The city is a hub for manufacturing (primarily of steel), tourism, and health and social services.

The city is the location of the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge connecting Canada and the United States. The city is bordered to the east by the Rankin and Garden River reserves, and to the west by Prince Township. To the north, the city is bordered by an unincorporated portion of Algoma District, which includes Aweres, Batchawana Bay, Goulais and District, Peace Tree and Searchmont.

The Ojibwe settled here for more than 500 years and call this area Baawitigong, meaning "place of the rapids". In the late 17th century, French Jesuit missionaries established a mission at the Ojibwe settlement. This was followed by development of a fur trading post and larger settlement. By the early 1900s, led by industrialists including Francis Clergue, the community became a regional centre for resource development and manufacturing.