The city, an early fur-trading center, was named for Noah Timmins who developed the town's mining potential. It is one of Canada's largest cities in area and is in the center of the Porcupine Mining area, which gets its name from the Porcupine Gold Rush of 1909. It boasts one of the richest silver-zinc mines in the world, is a major gold producer, and also yields copper, nickel, lead, tin, and cadmium.
