Sault

Sault is a toponym derived from the French word sault, meaning a rapid or leap, and is used to indicate rapids or fast-moving water in riverine places. In North American geography, the name appears in several locations named by French explorers, most famously in Sault Ste. Marie, which denotes Saint Mary’s Rapids along the St. Marys River.

The name survives in two adjacent cities on opposite sides of the Canada–United States border: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The two cities, commonly called the Soo, form a cross-border urban area linked by the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge and by the Soo Locks, which facilitate navigation between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes.

The Soo Locks enable commercial shipping and are a central element of the region’s transportation infrastructure, making the area an important corridor for bulk commodities. The local economy combines government services, education and health care with manufacturing, tourism, and natural resources. The region also serves as a gateway to northern Ontario and the Upper Peninsula, offering outdoor recreation and cultural institutions.

Notable features include the historical role of the region in the fur trade and the presence of several museums and cultural centers. The term "Sault" remains primarily associated with Sault Ste. Marie but appears in other French-derived place names and in linguistic references to rapids in French toponymy.