The local economy is inter-related to that of the eastern M4 corridor, which has most of its industrial, logistical and research businesses close to Newbury, mostly around Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead and Slough.

Together with the adjoining town of Thatcham, 3 miles (5 km) distant, Newbury forms the principal part of an urban area of approximately 70,000 people.

The town centres around a large market square and retains a rare medieval Cloth Hall, an adjoining half timbered granary, and the 15th-century St Nicolas Church, along with 17th- and 18th-century listed buildings.

Doubt has been cast over the existence of Newbury Castle,[8] but the town did have royal connections and was visited a number of times by King John and Henry III while hunting in the area.

[9] By 1623, when the bridge collapsed, it was recorded as being built of wood, being 30 feet (9 metres) in length and 20 ft (6 m) in width, and having shops on it.

The latter was the outcome of a bet as to whether a gentleman's suit could be produced by the end of the day from wool taken from a sheep's back at the beginning.

The local economy was boosted in the 18th century by the rise of Bath as a popular destination for the wealthy escaping London's summer heat and associated stench.

[10][16] The opening of the Great Western Railway from London to Bath in 1841 effectively killed the canal and coaching trades, and as the line passed some 25 kilometres (15+1⁄2 mi) to the north it brought no advantage to the town.

In the subsequent decades Newbury became something of a regional centre for the high-tech industries, and the town has since enjoyed a return to general economic prosperity.

A large Royal Air Force station was established during the Second World War at Greenham Common on the edge of the town.

In the 1950s, it became home to US Air Force bombers and tankers, for which it was equipped with the longest military runway in the United Kingdom.

With the end of the Cold War, the base was closed, the runway was broken up, much of it used as fill material in building the Newbury bypass, and the area was restored to heathland.

The Senior Council School, St. Bartholomew's Almshouses, St. John's Church (just the altar was left standing) and Southampton Terrace were all destroyed, and another 265 dwellings were damaged, many of which had to be demolished.

From 1999 to 2020 Newbury was part of the South East England European Parliament constituency electing MEPs by proportional representation.

The modern conurbation of Newbury, however, with close bus and road links and almost contiguous development, may be taken to include the surrounding villages of Speen, Donnington, Shaw and Greenham.

[32] The River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal flow east through the centre of the town to reach the Thames at Reading, while the River Lambourn (beside which is the country's largest horse-training paddocks in the Valley of the Lambourn Downs) partly forms its northern boundary, ending in the town.

Newbury is home to the United Kingdoms headquarters of the mobile network operator Vodafone, which is the town's largest employer with over 6,000 workers.

This road has been superseded as a long-distance route by the M4 motorway which runs almost parallel and can be accessed three miles (five kilometres) to the north at the Chieveley interchange at Junction 13.

At Newbury this east–west route is crossed by a dual-carriageway north–south trunk road, from the major south coast port of Southampton to the industrial centres of the Midlands.

Swindon's Bus Company, also a division of GoAhead, operates route X20, a once-weekly "shopper" service from Marlborough.

The town's location at the intersection of the routes from London to Bristol and from Southampton to Birmingham made it, for many years, a transport bottleneck.

The Racecourse also frequently plays host to a series of concerts on race days during the summer, which has included Olly Murs, Craig David, Tom Jones, Rick Astley and Madness in recent years.

Newbury, with their home ground situated at Faraday Road near the town centre, but the club collapsed after Vodafone pulled its sponsorship of the team in May 2006.

[43] A local pub team from the Old London Apprentice took over the Faraday Road ground temporarily and rebranded itself as Newbury F.C.

However, work began in May 2023 to restore the football ground at Faraday Road following the election of a new Liberal Democrat-run local council.

[53] Newbury's arts scene is primarily centred around the Corn Exchange, a 400-seat auditorium situated in the Market Place which provides a venue for both professional and amateur live performances as well as hosting an independent cinema.

[57] Since 1979, the Newbury Spring Festival of classical music has brought internationally renowned soloists and ensembles to a variety of venues in and around the town.

The Newbury Comedy Festival emerged as a major event in 2004 and played host to comedians such as Alan Carr and Jo Brand, but ended in 2012.

Newbury Showground, located to the north of the town centre in Hermitage, is also a major local events venue.

[55] Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian from the Hannington TV transmitter.