Chūō-ku is located in the approximate centre of Niigata City, bounded by the Sea of Japan to the north and the Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway to the south.

The area comprises the old city as well as the Sonoki (曽野木), Nuttari (沼垂), Toyano (鳥屋野) and the Yamagata (山潟) districts.

This is in marked contrast with areas on the west side of the river which still retain traditional-looking streets containing older houses.

The area of present-day Chūō-ku was part of ancient Echigo Province, and developed as a port town for Nagaoka Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa Shogunate.

The Hokuetsu Railway commented Niigata to Tokyo in 1897, and the first Bandai Bridge across the Shinano River was completed in 1908, shortly before the city was destroyed by a fire.