The church is mentioned in 866 when King Lothair II gave it to Moutier-Grandval Abbey.

In 999 the Abbot of Moutier-Grandval Abbey gave his extensive landholdings around Lake Biel, including where La Neuveville would be founded, to the Prince-Bishop of Basel.

At that time the region was known as Nugerol and over the next centuries the Bishop of Basel and the Counts of Neuchâtel often quarreled over the land.

In 1283-88 the Prince-Bishop Henry von Isny had the Schlossberg Castle built on the slopes of the Jura Mountains to help defend his claim to the land.

To further solidify his claims, around 1310, the next Prince-Bishop, Gérard de Vuippens, founded the town of La Neuveville.

The town pushed the borders of the County of Neuchâtel to the eastern side of the Ruz de Vaux stream.

In 1367 fighting broke out between the Prince-Bishop Johann von Vienne and the city of Bern.

The citizens of La Neuveville rallied around the Prince-Bishop and drove the Bernese army away.

In 1529 and 1530 the French evangelist William Farel was active in spreading the new faith of the Protestant Reformation in La Neuveville.

Despite the town's growing autonomy, its relationship with the Prince-Bishops remained good until the late 17th century.

The unrest against the Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Reinach eventually required Bern's intervention to settle the uproar.

After Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna, La Neuveville was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815.

The other major industry is caring for the 84.8 hectares (210 acres) of vineyards that grow on the sunny Jura slopes above town.

The municipality is located between the shores of Lake Biel and the Chasseral peak of the Jura Mountains.

On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Arrondissement administratif Jura bernois.

[6] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Gules two Keys Argent in saltire on a Mount of 3 Coupeaux Sable.

[9] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks French (2,644 or 76.7%) as their first language, German is the second most common (540 or 15.7%) and Italian is the third (100 or 2.9%).

Burgundian cannons captured by the Swiss after the Battle of Grandson in 1476 are today housed in a museum in La Neuveville.

The Blanche Église Réformée (White Church), the Cour Gléresse (also called the Hof Ligerz), the Fontaines Des Bannerets, the city walls, the Hôtel de Ville (town hall), the Maison de Berne and the Maison des Dragons are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The entire old town of La Neuveville and the hamlet of Chavannes are part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

In the tertiary sector; 123 or 18.8% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 48 or 7.4% were in the movement and storage of goods, 66 or 10.1% were in a hotel or restaurant, 13 or 2.0% were in the information industry, 15 or 2.3% were the insurance or financial industry, 61 or 9.3% were technical professionals or scientists, 50 or 7.7% were in education and 223 or 34.2% were in health care.

[21] From the 2000 census[update], 1,596 or 46.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 947 or 27.5% were Roman Catholic.

This is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude.

Following the lower Secondary students may attend additional schooling or they may enter an apprenticeship.

[22] During the 2011–12 school year, there were a total of 510 students attending classes in La Neuveville.