The city is located in the central part of the state along U.S. Route 82, which runs from southeast to northwest to the north of the city, leading southeast 70 mi (110 km) to Montgomery, the state capital, and northwest 35 mi (56 km) to Tuscaloosa.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

The Cahaba River falls near Centreville, which made the town a strategic location for transportation through the region.

On March 25, 2021, a violent tornado hit the southern and eastern portions of Centreville, causing significant damage to the area and rendering the Bibb County Airport a total loss.

At first she vigorously denied it, but then – under intense peer pressure – she confessed to the baby's origin but claimed that she had been raped.

When asked if she knew who raped her, Crow gave them the name of Grant Richardson, an African American who lived near the Braehead Slope Mine Camp, northeast of Centreville.

The miners and other local residents were so incensed at the affair that they decided to apply "summary vengeance" to Richardson as soon as they knew that the sheriff had apprehended him.

Deputy Sheriff Cam Riley apprehended Richardson on October 12, 1910, and was returning him to the jail at Centreville for processing and trial, but was waylaid by a lynch mob.

Chief Deputy Sheriff Charles Oakley investigated the scene as soon as word of the incident reached him, but other than the body, the shells, and the blood, there was little usable evidence to be found, much less witnesses.