Arbon is located on the southern shore of Lake Constance, on a railway line between Konstanz/Romanshorn and Rorschach/Chur, or St. Gallen, respectively.

Elements of the castle on the peninsula were part of a Late Roman defensive fortification that developed into a medieval town in the first half of the thirteenth century.

Arbon is situated on a peninsula on the southwest shore of Lake Constance between Romanshorn and Rorschach.

The surrounding hills are remaining moraines of the Rhine glacier that existed in prehistoric times.

The surrounding municipalities are (counter-clockwise from the north): Egnach, Roggwil, Berg, Steinach, and Horn.

Efforts have been made in recent years to reduce automobile traffic in the center.

Lake Constance assures that the climate in Arbon is mild, both summer and winter.

Arbon has a storm warning system for boats on Lake Constance and works closely with neighboring towns.

The Latin name of Arbon, Arbor Felix (meaning happy tree), first appears in around 280[5] and is mentioned in the Itinerarium Antonini in 300.

According to the chronicles of Ammianus Marcellinus, the emperor Gratian passed by Arbon in 378 as he hurried to join his uncle Valens, who was marching to confront the Goths at Battle of Adrianople.

In 1255, Bishop Eberhard von Waldburg gave Arbon a dispensation for market rights in the area and built the city wall.

From 1262 to 1264, and again in 1266, the young duke of Swabia, Conradin of Hohenstaufen, resided in Arbon because the Bishop of Constance was his guardian.

The surrounding towns of Steinach, Mörschwil, Horn, Goldach, Egnach, Roggwil, and Steinebrunn all belonged to the parish of Arbon.

When Thurgau was conquered by the Swiss Eidgenossen in 1460, the Bishops of Constance retained Arbon.

However, in the Swabian War of 1499, they lost civil rights over the territory, retaining only ecclesiastical supremacy.

The castle of Arbon in its present form was built in 1515 by Bishop Hugo von Hohenlandenberg.

The Bishop's representative, Franz Xaver Wirz von Rudenz, was forced to leave the city.

This occurred primarily because of the pioneering efforts of industrialist Franz Saurer, who moved his foundry from St. Gallen to Arbon in 1863.

Until 1983, the Adolph Saurer AG factory produced trucks and buses, and until 1986 military vehicles.

From the 1920s to the 1950s, the Social Democratic majority held power in the city, and it was known as red Arbon.

During World War II, the population shrank due to the proximity of Germany (just across Lake Constance) and flight from the frontiers.

Today, because of the addition of Frasnacht, Stachen, Kratzern, Speiserlehn, and Fetzisloh, the population is 14,950 as of December 2020[update].

The historical population is given in the following table:[5] Like many places in the canton of Thurgau, Arbon is divided between Lutheran/Reformed and Catholic.

[12] About 26% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage or a rent-to-own agreement).

At the lower primary level, there are 167 children or 46.9% of the total population who are female, 146 or 41.0% are not Swiss citizens and 4 or 1.1% do not speak German natively.

In the upper primary level, there are 148 or 45.5% who are female, 126 or 38.8% are not Swiss citizens and 3 or 0.9% do not speak German natively.

There are 299 teenagers who are in the advanced school, of which 154 or 51.5% are female, 45 or 15.1% are not Swiss citizens and 8 or 2.7% do not speak German natively.

There are 262 teenagers who are in the standard school, of which 124 or 47.3% are female, 112 or 42.7% are not Swiss citizens and 21 or 8.0% do not speak German natively.

Finally, there are 24 teenagers who are in special or remedial classes, of which 11 or 45.8% are female, 11 or 45.8% are not Swiss citizens and 4 or 16.7% do not speak German natively.

The Bleiche (a prehistoric lake-shore settlement), the Gallus Chapel, the Catholic Church of St Martin, Arbon Castle and Historical Museum and the Late-Roman Fortress are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.