[citation needed] Nan is a small city, primarily devoted to commercial, administrative, educational, and hospital activities.

The old heart of the city, where Wat Phumin, the national museum and other tourist attractions are found, is being restored.Nan for centuries was a separate, autonomous kingdom with few relationships with the outside world.

There is evidence of prehistoric habitation, but it wasn't until several small mueang united to form Nanthaburi on the Nan River in the mid-14th century, contemporaneously with the creation of Luang Prabang and the Lan Xang (Million Elephants) kingdom in Laos, that the city became notable.

Associated with the Sukhothai Kingdom, the mueang took the title Wara Nakhon and played a significant part in the development of early Thai nationalism.

Parts of the old city wall and several early wats dating from the Lanna period can be seen in contemporary Nan.