It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Wilkes-Barre along the Susquehanna River.

[8] The first signs of European settlement date to the year 1772, when James McClure established a log cabin in the area.

[12][13] While some home rule municipalities may be styled as towns in their charters, they remain classified as either cities, boroughs, or townships.

[14] Bloomsburg's slogan of "The only [incorporated] town in Pennsylvania" reflects its unique status.

[17][18] Bloomsburg is located west of the center of Columbia County, along the north bank of the Susquehanna River and on the east side of Fishing Creek.

The campus of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania occupies a large portion of the hill.

Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School in Bloomsburg has numerous secondary education trade programs.

The Central Columbia School District has approximately 2,100 students and encompasses the eastern and northern suburbs of Bloomsburg.

Bloomsburg University, one of the 14 institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, had a 2012 enrollment of 10,000 full-time undergraduate and 846 graduate students.

Additionally, there are several private religious and non-denominational schools in and around the immediate vicinity of Bloomsburg.

The town has also purchased the former Streater Farm at the confluence of Fishing Creek and the Susquehanna River, which is being converted into athletic fields, a nature preserve, and a walking path that will be tied in with the existing Columbia-Montour Rails-to-Trails program.

Company officials cited flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Lee as one of their reasons for the plant closing.

The David Stroup Fountain, erected in 1892, is located at Bloomsburg's Market Square.

David Stroup was the owner of a local candy shop who left money in his will to the town's water works.

The current fountain is a restored version of the original, which was dismantled in 1966 due to its deterioration but was put back together in 1982 by Daniel and Michael McCloskey.

[31] Several radio stations serve the area, including WHLM, WMMZ, and WCFT-FM.