Located on the alluvial plain of the Nagara River, Gifu has taken advantage of the surrounding natural resources to create both traditional industries[7] (including Mino washi and agriculture) and tourism opportunities such as cormorant fishing.

As a result, Gifu's geography is very diverse, ranging from the built-up city center to persimmon orchards and strawberry patches in the outlying areas.

Because of the formation of the river, the area is prone to flooding when typhoons or heavy thunderstorms occur; however, dykes and levies have been built to control the excess water.

[1] Gifu experiences a wide range of weather throughout the year, but in general is characterized by hot and humid summers, and mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

[15] Shortly after this change, however, the city's economic revival strengthened and the population began to show a true increase, although this has reversed in recent decades.

[17] Similar to many areas in Japan, the percentage of senior citizens over 65 years of age is approximately 21.67%, compared to only 14.13% of the population younger than 15.

The Ryomonji and Kotozuka sites have produced large burial mounds that are representative of the late-Yayoi period,[21] which is when rice cultivation began in Japan.

[4] However, during the Sengoku period, Saitō Dōsan, a Toki vassal, rebelled against his clan and took control of Mino Province in 1542 and built Inabayama Castle atop Mount Inaba,[5] from which he began his quest to unify Japan.

During Dōsan's reign, his daughter Nōhime married Oda Nobunaga, the heir of the fast rising clan in the neighboring Owari Province, with the hopes of an alliance of the two families' would present a powerful front against their competitors.

Additionally, Nobunaga established Rakuichi Rakuza (楽市楽座), a free market for his citizens to use, in direct response to the commercial monopoly of the area's temples and shrines.

[21] The liveliness of the town caused Luís Fróis, a Portuguese Jesuit Missionary and guest of Nobunaga, to describe Gifu as a "bustling Babylon".

In the middle of the Meiji period, Gifu was officially established as a city on July 1, 1889, with an original population of 25,750 people and an area of 10 km2.

[26] Gifu recovered from the earthquake damage by the end of the Meiji period, and by 1911 was prosperous enough to establish a municipal street car service throughout the city.

Local high school girls made these fire balloons out of Mino washi (a thin but strong Japanese paper) and konnyaku paste.

[30] Originally, rubberized silk was used to help these bombs use the newly discovered jet stream to traverse the Pacific Ocean, but Gifu's paper was found to be both stronger, lighter, and more airtight.

Both public construction projects (station area renovations and elevated walkways) and private efforts are revitalizing the city of Gifu.

[33] Gifu expanded its size in 2006 by merging with the neighboring town of Yanaizu (from Hashima District) during the great Heisei merger.

The area just north of JR Gifu Station contains a variety of small clothing stores catering to many types of consumers.

Because the city is located near Aichi Prefecture and its many major automotive and heavy industry companies, such as Toyota,[37] Gifu has become a prosperous area for many metalworking, mold and die, and parts subcontractors.

Famed comedian Charlie Chaplin also came to view cormorant fishing on the Nagara River twice, reportedly moved by the experience.

This art museum is dedicated to the works of the brothers Eizō and Tōichi Katō, famous artists born in Gifu Prefecture.

Near the end of August, the city sponsors Takigi Noh, a traditional form of Japanese theater that takes place on the banks of the Nagara River, lit only by the surrounding bonfires and the fires of cormorant boats.

The soccer field at the Memorial Center serves as the home to FC Gifu,[54] the city's football representative in the J-League.

[55] This pedestrian pathway is named after the Gifu-born marathoner Naoko Takahashi, who won the gold medal in the event at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

However, it also serves as a gathering place because of its large shaded areas that include ponds, waterfalls, cherry trees and wisteria vines.

[59] Other attractions include Bairin Park, filled with over fifty types of plum trees[26] which bloom in an array of colors, from white to dark pink, each Spring.

[26] Kawate Castle was used by the Toki clan while they were guarding Owari, Ise and Mino provinces as the Chief Retainer of the shogunate during the Muromachi period.

[26] The central area of the city serves as a satellite of nearby Nagoya, which has large offices of many international companies, including Toyota.

It is designed to encourage residents to lead slower lifestyles and provide an alternative to the fast-paced life of the modern world.

Major elements of this campaign include more dependence on locally grown food; traditional culture and arts; and activities to increase citizens’ participation in their community.