Donnacona is the home of a paper industry (The Bowater Paper Mill) that currently employs over 300 people.
Donnacona is surrounded by several towns and villages, including:
Most people think it is named after Donnacona, a Wendat chief from the 16th century who was taken to France, but it was actually named after the first paper mill erected in the town: Donnacona Paper. The first name of the city was Pointe-Aux-Écureuils.