It remains geographically close to major city landmarks, including Amsterdam Centraal station, the Royal Palace and the Rokin.

Amsterdam-Noord is best known for its typical wooden houses (mainly located in Schellingwoude and Nieuwendam), historical areas with a low population density (Landelijk Noord) and large open spaces (especially Durgerdam and Ransdorp).

Amsterdam north of the IJ originally consisted of the Volewijck peninsula, which the city was given control over in 1393 (right of craftsmanship; Dutch: recht van ambachtsheerlijkheid).

In 1660, the digging of the Buikslotertrekvaart (literal translation: Buiksloter waterway) began just to the east of the Galgenveld, from the IJ north through Volewijck to Buiksloot, Broek in Waterland, Monnickendam, Edam and Hoorn.

The canal flows under the A10 motorway coming from Den Helder, and then goes through the Noorderpark (east of Buiksloot and west of Buikslotermeer) and Overhoeks.

The municipality of Amsterdam voted to begin converting northern rural areas into industry fields, a policy which was started by the establishment of the Stoomvaartmaatschappij Nederland, Koninklijke Nederlandse Stoomboot-Maatschappij (KNSM) and others.

The Amsterdam Drydock Company, founded on their initiative, built a ship repair yard on the north bank, and the Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (NDSM) established a new shipyard.

In 1900, the municipal council decided to move the sulfuric acid plant of Ketjen, which caused a great deal of disruption in Overtoom (Amsterdam-Zuid), to a new facility in Amsterdam-Noord.

In 1910, descendants of the Zaanstad manufacturing families Duijvis and Verkade founded the Drakafabriek for low-voltage cables, necessary for the electrification of the Netherlands.

In April 2012, the EYE Film Institute Netherlands was officially transferred from the Vondelparkpaviljoen, Vondelpark to Overhoeks, Amsterdam-Noord following an inauguration by Queen Beatrix.

The special district of Landelijk Noord, which was established to ensure that the residents of the rural eastern part of Amsterdam-Noord received the same quality of service as those in the rest of the city, also comprises the Durgerdam, Holysloot, 't Nopeind, Ransdorp, Schellingwoude and Zunderdorp neighbourhoods.

Former neighbourhoods that merged into the current ones include Buiksloterham, IJplein en Vogelbuurt, Nieuwendammerham, Tuindorp Buiksloot, Van der Pekbuurt, Volewijck, Waterland and Waterlandpleinbuurt.

The Vliegenbos (literal translation: fly forest), Amsterdam-Noord's main urban park, is known to locals as a place to relax and jog.