The city was formed on February 18, 2002, by the merger of the cities of Chicoutimi, Jonquière, La Baie, and Laterrière, along with the municipalities of Lac-Kénogami and Shipshaw and part of the township of Tremblay.
The city is divided into three boroughs:
The term "the Saguenay" is used for the whole Saguenay River region. See Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. It is also used for a federal electoral district (riding), currently Lac-Saint-Jean--Saguenay; as of 2004, the northern part of the city will become the riding of Du Saguenay.