Chicoutimi, Québec, city, pop 62 670 (1991c), pop 61 083 (1986c), inc 1976, is located at the confluence of the Chicoutimi and SAGUENAY rivers between JONQUIÈRE and LA BAIE, 211 km north of Québec City.

In the Montagnais language, Chicoutimi means "the end of the deep waters" - a reference to the tides reaching that point. The town's wholesale and retail trade expanded because of its role as a maritime (1875) and railway (1893) terminal. In 1898 the Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi opened its first pulp mill here, which grew rapidly until the paper industry crisis of the 1920s, and the economic collapse of 1929 forced its closure.

Prosperity returned with WWII, when many unemployed found work in the Arvida (now Jonquière) aluminum works. The service sector experienced rapid growth, making Chicoutimi a tertiary centre. Regional capital of Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, county seat of Chicoutimi and headquarters of the judicial district of the same name, the city has been a diocesan centre since 1878 and has a major hospital (1884) and a university (UNIVERSITÉ DE QUÉBEC à Chicoutimi, 1969).