The eastern part of the city rises to the Ikoma Mountains, forming the border with Nara Prefecture.

[1] Higashiōsaka has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.

During the Kofun and Asuka periods, this was the homeland of the Mononobe clan, and was on the main road between the Yamato Basin and the port at Naniwa, with sea connections to the Asian continent.

In the Edo Period, flood control projects on the Yamato River created a large amount of reclaimed land, which was developed by wealthy Osaka merchants for rice and cotton production.

Higashiōsaka has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 38 members.

In terms of national politics, the city is part of Osaka 13th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

However, industry has been decreasing in recent years, and there are cases where factory sites have been converted to residential areas for commuters to the Osaka metropolis.