Almost all of its area is located on the left, western bank of the Birs and is a suburb of Basel.

[4] The area around Aesch was inhabited as far back as the Upper Paleolithic, as the graves at Gmeiniwald show.

The grave contained the skeletal remains of 47 individuals, including 14 children, as well as evidence of cremation burials.

The grave also contained arrows, spears and flint knives, animal tooth pendants, a mallet made of red sandstone and quartzite, and pottery fragments.

[6] This area was part of the bishop's bailiwick of Pfeffingen from the 13th Century until 1519, when it was inherited by the Count of Thierstein.

[6] In 1702, Aesch became the bailiwick seat, and the bailiff moved into Blarer Castle, which had been built in 1604–07.

In the Late Middle Ages there was a nunnery along the Klus, however there are scant written records or archeological evidence of the building.

The residents of Aesch, like the rest of the bailiwick of Pfeffingen, did not hold citizens' rights in the city of Basel.

Between 1582 and 1588, the village stood in the center of the last successful Counter-Reformation efforts of the Bishop of Basel, Jacob Christoph Blarer of Wartensee.

Due to its border location, Aesch suffered repeated looting and pillaging, during the Thirty Years War (1618–48) and other religious conflicts of this era.

[6] The farming village was dominated by vineyards, due to fertile soils, mild climate and sunny slopes.

In 1815, the entire Birseck region, including Aesch, was awarded to the Canton of Basel.

During the revolutions of 1830, revolutionary political leaders, including Anton von Blarer, rose to prominence in Aesch.

In late 1830, a liberty pole with the slogan "Freedom or death" was erected in Aesch.

[6] Until the 20th Century Aesch retained its predominantly agricultural character even though some companies moved in.

The number of acres under cultivation as vineyards dropped sharply during the late 19th Century.

The local farmers fought back with phylloxera eradication and a wine cooperative, so that Aesch now has the largest proportion of vineyards in Basel-Country.

[6] Despite the accessibility of the Jura Bahn railway from Basel to Delémont (built in 1875) and the tram line Basel-Aesch (in 1907), very few industrial and commercial companies moved into Aesch until after World War II.

Strong population growth has led to brisk construction activity, including the entirely new settlement of Neu-Aesch which was built in 1987.

[7] The municipality is located in the Arlesheim district, almost exclusively on the left bank of the Birs.

It consists of the linear village of Aesch along the road between Birseck and the Laufen valley.

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Argent, a Spear-point Sable bendwise, in chef sinister a Mullet (of Six) Gules.

[10] The age distribution, as of 2010[update], in Aesch is; 668 or 6.5% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old (children), and 1,428 or 14.0% are between 7 and 19 (teenagers).

[11] The historical population is given in the following chart:[4][16] The Gmeiniwald, a neolithic dolmen grave, and the School Complex of Neumatt are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance.

The number of jobs in the primary sector was 52, of which 39 were in agriculture and 13 were in forestry or lumber production.

In the tertiary sector; 411 or 28.2% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 118 or 8.1% were in the movement and storage of goods, 84 or 5.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 67 or 4.6% were in the information industry, 130 or 8.9% were the insurance or financial industry, 134 or 9.2% were technical professionals or scientists, 100 or 6.8% were in education and 171 or 11.7% were in health care.

[11] From the 2000 census[update], 4,294 or 44.1% were Roman Catholic, while 2,723 or 28.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.