[2] Until the mid-20th century, the area was mainly made up of farmlands but due to the continuous expansion of the Greek capital, Galatsi was rapidly urbanised and has come to lie in the center of the Athens agglomeration.

An alternative theory suggests that it derived from gala, the Greek word for the milk that the shepherds of the area's rangelands yelled hovering around in order to sell their products.

[3] Galatsi is an inner suburb of the Athens urban area and is located 4 km (2 mi) northeast of the city centre.

Its built-up area is continuous with those of Central Athens and neighbouring suburb Nea Ionia.

The famous Grava school complex is located there, as are many other educational foundations and public and private institutes.