Annonay is built on the hill overlooking the meeting of the deep gorges of the Déôme and the Cance, the waters of which supply power to the factories of the town. By means of a dam across the Ternay, an affluent of the Déôme, to the north-west of the town, a reservoir is provided, in which an additional supply of water, for both industrial and domestic purposes, is stored. A tribunal of commerce, a board of trade-arbitrators, a branch of the Bank of France, and chambers of commerce and of arts and manufactures are among the public institutions.
In the first half of the 16th century, the town was influenced by Luthean and Calvinist ideas and there were several skirmishes between protestants and catholics, with several "heretics" being burnt alive. The population had reached 3,500 by the start of the religious wars in 1562. The wars were used as a pretext to deprive the town of its prosperity. The nearby castle of Pugneux was badly damaged on two occasions. 1585 to 1586 were especially disastrous, with not only war, but Famine and the plague. Fortunately calm and prosperity retunded after the 1598 Edict of Nantes.
October 21, 1879 - French composer, singer and folk-song collector Joseph Canteloube (Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret) was born in Annonay.
On March 8, 2001, an ETA terrorist suspect was arrested at a local roadblock.
On June 4, 1783, Annonay was the location of the Montgolfier brothers first public unmanned Hot air balloon flight. The event is celebrated annually each June, on the site of the flight in the place des Cordeliers. The Montgolfier brothers were natives of the town, and there is an obelisk in honour of them.
The town is home to an annual international Film Festival.
Irisbus, a Renault Vehicles Industries and Fiat Iveco joint venture, constructs busses, and is the largest single employer with around 2,000 staff, and several associated businesses.
The multinational Paper company Arjo Wiggins' subsidiary Papétries Canson et Montgolfier SA, which dates back to 1557 (and is linked to the Montgolfier brothers?), owns three of the several paper factories in the town.
Other industries in or close to the town include plastics, textiles, and pharmaceutical companies including Ciba, Aguettant and Tetra Médical.
There are a number of vineyards near the town.
The average salary in the area is 23,300 Euro.