[2] Dunnington village was an Anglo-Saxon settlement, and was listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as "Donniton", which, according to Mills, translates as an "estate associated with a man called Dun(n)a".

Steam trains ran to Dunnington on this line between 1977 and 1979, but following the closure of a crop drying facility the last tracks covering the route to York via Murton and Osbaldwick were lifted.

In 2006 Dunnington published a village design statement (VDS)[6] as part of a national scheme introduced by the Countryside Commission in 1996.

[7] The original Victorian village school was demolished, but a doctors' surgery building that sits on the site was built using a complementary construction style and reclaimed materials.

[8] Since 2017 Dunnington has had an online community network—known as This is Dunnington—for communicating, sharing and commenting on events, news, developments and activities in the parish and village.

[9] Recreational areas within or around Dunnington are Hagg Wood, Hassacarr Nature Reserve, Julia's Memorial Garden and a play park.

The Grade: II* listed St Nicholas' Church dates in part from the late 11th century with later additions and alterations to the 19th, when it was rebuilt by C. Hodgson Fowler.