Blacktown is located 34 km (21 mi) west of the Sydney central business district.

It is estimated that fifty to ninety percent of the Darug died of smallpox and other introduced diseases within a few years of the British arrival.

Governor Arthur Phillip began granting land in the area to white settlers in 1791.

In 1819 Governor Lachlan Macquarie granted land to two Indigenous men, Colebee and Nurragingy as payment for their service to The Crown, for assisting Cox with the road over the Blue Mountains and in dealing with Aboriginal issues.

[3] In 1823, the Native Institution (a school for Aboriginal children) was moved from Parramatta to the site where Richmond Road meets Rooty Hill Road North (this intersection is now in the suburbs of Oakhurst and Glendenning) which was named "The BlackTown".

This led to civic development in the town centre with the hospital opening in 1965, the courthouse and police station in 1966, the library in 1967 and the TAFE college in 1969.

[4] Since that time, Blacktown has endured as a multiculturally diverse suburb of Sydney, with residents from more than 130 countries.

[8] Summers are moderately hot and humid, having a similar average temperature to Port Jackson, but diurnal temperature range is higher from the lack of coastal sea breezes from the Tasman Sea, which only make up to the suburb of Homebush, which is east of Blacktown, which also reduces summer precipitation .

Busways provides services to Northern areas (Rouse Hill, Castle Hill, Kellyville, Glenwood and Stanhope Gardens), West areas (Mount Druitt, Plumpton, Oakhurst, Quakers Hill, Dean Park, Woodcroft) and South districts (Prospect, Arndell Park, Huntingwood, Tallawong, Doonside, Blacktown Hospital), whilst CDC NSW provides Eastern services (Macquarie Park, Seven Hills, Parramatta, Kings Langley).

While no longer in use as a school, the building in Flushcombe Road is now used as a Visitor Information Centre.

The building reopened in April 2007 with facilities for performance, extended visual art galleries, workshop space and enhanced administrative areas.

Other languages spoken at home included Punjabi 10.2%, Hindi 4.4%, Arabic 4.1%, Tagalog 3.1% and Gujarati 2.8%.