Izumi-ku is the twelfth-largest ward in Japan in terms of area, and third-largest in Sendai (behind Aoba-ku and Taihaku-ku).

[2][3] Formerly the independent city of Izumi, the population of the area expanded extremely rapidly from the mid-1970s onwards as a bedroom community for central Sendai.

The area of present-day Izumi-ku was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Japanese Paleolithic period.

The area was inhabited by the Emishi people, and came under the control of the imperial dynasty during the late Nara period.

With the establishment of the post-Meiji restoration municipalities system, the area was organised into the villages of Fukuoka, Nishi-Tanaka, Nenoshiroishi, Hōzawa, Sanezawa, Ogaku, Nanakita, Ichinazaka, Matsumori, Furuuchi, Kamiyagari, No, Aramaki and Kitane within Miyagi District of Miyagi Prefecture prior to April 1, 1889 Although Izumi-ku is mostly a residential area, it is also home to several college campuses; and companies such as Alps, Freescale Semiconductor, and Toppan have a large presence in the Izumi Parktown Industrial Park.