The area was a collection of rural villages and towns until the 1880s, when it was connected by rail to central Tokyo (Oji Station opening in 1883).

[2] The name Kita, meaning "north," reflects the location among the wards of Tokyo.

To its north lie the cities of Kawaguchi and Toda in Saitama Prefecture.

To the east, south and west lie other special wards: Adachi, Arakawa, Itabashi, Bunkyō, and Toshima.

The city's public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.