Although the district boundaries dated to the 20th century, the city traces its origins to a 1st-century Roman outpost associated with Hadrian's Wall.

Thereafter the region formed part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland, until colonised under King William II of England in 1092.

In July 2021 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that in April 2023, Cumbria would be reorganised into two unitary authorities.

[5] On 1 April 2023, Carlisle City Council was abolished and its functions transferred to the new unitary authority of Cumberland, which also incorporates the former districts of Allerdale and Copeland.

Charter Trustees were formed from the councillors that cover the said areas; they act as appropriate bodies in which historic rights and privileges of Carlisle, including the Mayoralty will continue until a governance review will determine the need of a Town Council.

[8] The act formally established the City of Carlisle as a local government district of the new shire county of Cumbria on 1 April 1974.

[10] The residents of the City of Carlisle district were represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom by members of parliament (MPs) for two parliamentary constituencies.

At the 2019 general election, Conservative Party MPs won the seats of Carlisle and Penrith and The Border, John Stevenson and Neil Hudson respectively.

Civil parishes form the bottom tier of local government in England; parish councils are consulted on planning applications and commonly manage some local services, such as allotments, burial grounds, bus shelters, car parks, and commons.

The arms incorporated a golden shield with a red cross, upon a green mount, surmounted by a mural crown, relating to Carlisle's history as an ancient walled city.

This was supported by two red wyverns—legendary dragons used in heraldry—their wings strewn with golden roses, with reference to the city's Brythonic history.

It encompassed Cumbria's county town, Carlisle, and its surrounding rural hinterland,[21] which together totalled 1,039.97 square kilometres (402 sq mi),[3] making the district the largest in England by area.

[22] Along the City of Carlisle's northern extent was the Solway Firth, which forms the western section of the Anglo-Scottish border, and thus separated the district from Dumfries and Galloway, one of the council areas of Scotland.

[35] In 2001, of 46,858 residents of the City of Carlisle district in employment, the industry of employment was 20.4% retail and wholesale, 15.9% manufacturing, 11.1% health and social work, 8.1% property and business services, 7.7% transport and communications, 7.3% construction, 6.4% education, 5.9% hotels and restaurants, 5.8% public administration and defence, 3.1% agriculture, 2.3% finance, 0.7% energy and water supply, 0.3% mining, and 4.5% other.

[38] After a 25-year absence, commercial flights returned to the airport in July 2019 with a single airline, Loganair, providing services to London Southend, Belfast City and Dublin.