It is part of the Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Area of the Piedmont Triad and is home of the state-owned North Carolina Zoo.

[6] It was a small village in the 1800s, with a population of less than 200 through the Civil War; its main function was housing the county courthouse, and the town was most active when court was in session.

After World War II, the city's manufacturing sector grew to include batteries, wires and food products.

[7] Asheboro suffered from an economic downturn in the 2000s due to a decline in its traditional manufacturing industries amid increasing competition from overseas; the national news program 60 Minutes described it as a "dying town" in 2012.

North Carolina's largest economic developments are occurring in Asheboro,[9] and future job growth is strong.

[11] In 2015, Sunset Avenue in Downtown Asheboro was named a Great Main Street by the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Although Asheboro is located in the gently rolling Piedmont plateau region of central North Carolina, far to the east of the Appalachian Mountains, the town and surrounding area are surprisingly hilly.

The town lies within the Uwharrie Mountains, a series of ancient ridges and monadnocks which have been worn down by erosion to high hills.

[23] Black & Decker Corp was one of the main employers in the mid 1990s; one of its products, the SnakeLight, sold millions after being introduced in late 1994.