[1] Located in the central coastal portion of Shimane Prefecture, Ōda borders the Sea of Japan to the north and the Chūgoku Mountains to the south.

Mount Sanbe (1,126 metres (3,694 ft)), part of Daisen-Oki National Park, is a double volcano of the Hakusan Volcanic Zone, and is situated to the southeast of the city.

[1] With the development of the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, the area was maintained as tenryō, or territory under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate, throughout the Edo Period.

The village of Ōda within Ano District, Shimane, was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system.

Ōda merged with the neighboring villages of Nagahisa, Torii, Kute, Hanehigashi, Kawai, Shizuma, and Kuri on November 1, 1954 and was raised to city status.

Ōda has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 18 members.

The mine is a popular tourist destination in Shimane, and can be reached by bus from Ōda Station on the JR West Sanin Main Line.

The Nima Sand Museum features a large hourglass mechanism that automatically rotates from December 31 to January 1.