Griffith and other towns were created as part of the New South Wales State Government's Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) project, a plan to supply irrigation from the Murrumbidgee river to open up western New South Wales for farming.

The town plan for Griffith, and nearby Leeton, was designed by Walter Burley Griffin in 1914, an unusual geometric pattern centred on a set of circular streets, with broad avenues radiating out in an octagonal arrangement.

The water supply was further enhanced with the construction of the Snowy River scheme by the Australian Federal Government in the 1950s and 1960s.

Vineyards were established early, and wineries followed, beginning with McWilliam's Wines at Hanwood and Yenda, two villages just outside the city.

From its earliest days, the MIA was populated by Italian workers, some of whom were initially employed by Australian farmers to run steamboats on the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers.

In the 1970s, Griffith was often associated with drug distribution (particularly marijuana) and organised crime,[11] as depicted in 2009 by Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities.

However, Griffith is now associated with good wine and food, primarily as a result of its diverse population, with notable contributions by Italian-Australians.

Griffith's multi-ethnic population is now absorbing new national groups, including a significant Sikh Indian community.

De Bortoli, Rosetto, Calabria and other wineries were established by Italian immigrants, and today they are well known around Australia.

In recent times they have been joined by one of the country's best known wine labels, Yellow Tail, produced by Casella Family Brands.

Casella, DeBortoli, McWilliam's, Warburn and Berton Vineyards are now among the top 20 wine producers in Australia.

Griffith has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: Griffith has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen climate classification with hot summers and cool winters, and rather uniform rainfall spread through the months with a slight peak in spring.

Shopping centre developments include: Griffith is home to the Riverina's largest employer, poultry processor, the Baiada Group.

In addition to Griffith, the area includes the towns and villages of Willbriggie, Hanwood, Beelbangera, Bilbul, Yoogali, Widgelli, Yenda, Lake Wyangan, Tharbogang and Warburn.

The railway reached Griffith on 3 July 1916 and since that date has provided a service transporting passengers and goods to and from the area.

[21] Griffith railway station is served by a twice weekly NSW TrainLink Xplorer service from Sydney.

NSW TrainLink also operates several coach services connecting to Sydney-Melbourne XPT trains at either Wagga Wagga or Cootamundra: V/Line operates a daily rail/road coach service between Melbourne and Griffith, changing with the train at Shepparton.

Triple M Riverina MIA 963 is the Griffith-based commercial FM station owned by Southern Cross Austereo broadcasting from Griffith studios during the day, and then taking networked programming sourced from 2GB, Triple M Gold Coast, Authentic Entertainment Sydney and Triple M. 2RG in Griffith also produces a local news service with a journalist based at the station, compiling and recording local news bulletins for 2RG and sister station 99.7 Star FM.

Until the 1990s, Griffith received only the ABC and MTN, an independent television station showing programmes from all three commercial networks.

The two clubs are among the most successful in the league with 6 and 13 titles respectively, with a cross-town derby in the 2017 Grand Final attracting a crowd of over 2,000 people to EW Moore Oval.

Griffith is famous for its botrytis including De Bortoli's Noble One, and its fortified wine such as McWilliam's Hanwood Port.

[25] Nearby Cocoparra National Park offers walking trails and there are opportunities to explore along the Murrumbidgee River and Lake Wyangan.