The town of Saint-Fons, created in 1888 (formerly a district of Vénissieux) is at the same time at the gates of Lyon (at the exit of Gerland) but also of Vénissieux in the East, Feyzin and Irigny in the South, Pierre-Bénite in the West and at the entrance of the « Vallée de la Chimie ». Rich of many associations very involved, the city also has a music school with a Jazz Festival, a media library, a center of contemporary art and a theatre recognized in the cultural life of the agglomeration.

It is also a municipality that has embarked on a real transformation. Within 10 years, major urban renewal projects in the Arsenal, Carnot-Parmentier and Clochettes neighborhoods will give the city a new face.