Jonquière, city in Chicoutimi County, southern Québec, Canada, on the Saguenay and Sable rivers. Major manufactures include metal goods, paper, wood products, and processed foods. The service and high-tech sectors grew during the 1990s. Jonquière is home to a community college specializing in media communications and technology. Attractions in the city include the Centre national d'expositions, an exhibition and cultural center located on Mont-Jacob; the Musée William-Price, a museum named after an early paper mill owner and housed in an Anglican church; the Pont d'Aluminum (Aluminum Bridge); the Église Notre-Dame-de-Fatima, a church in the shape of a tepee; and the Shipshaw hydroelectric power station, a facility open for tours. Annual events include an international puppet festival, a winter carnival featuring snow and ice sculptures, and Québecissime, a show featuring Québécois musicians.
European Canadians settled the area in 1847. The community was named for the marquis de La Jonquière, who was governor of New France (France's colonial empire in North America) from 1749 to 1752. Begun as an agricultural settlement, Jonquière developed into a large industrial center. It grew rapidly with the opening of pulp and other mills in the early 20th century. During the mid-1940s the area was the home of the largest aluminum production center in the world. Aluminum smelting still plays a dominant role in the city's economy. Incorporated as a city in 1956, Jonquière reincorporated in 1975to amalgamate with the surrounding communities.
