Aomori Prefecture The city has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) characterized by warm short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall.

The area of Goshogawara was part of the holdings of the Tsugaru clan of Hirosaki Domain in the Edo period.

With the post-Meiji restoration establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the area became part of Kitatsugaru District, Aomori, and was divided into the villages of Goshogawara, Sakae, Miyoshi, Nakagawa, Nagahashi, Nanawa, Matsushima and Itayanagi on April 1, 1889.

In March 2024, the city announced the creation of its own "Citizen's Honor Award", with the intention of making sumo wrestler Takerufuji the first recipient of the prize following his historical championship win.

[6] Goshogawara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 26 members.

In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aomori 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.