[2] Besides areas that used to be part of the Weststadt-borough (Hardtwaldsiedlung a housing cooperative, founded in the 1920s), large parts of today's borough consist of the former United States Army Smiley Barracks (Originally built in 1937 as the Forstner-Kaserne) and the American Paul Revere Village housing area (founded in 1951).

[6][7] The catholic Herz-Jesu-Church, originally founded in 1924 as a temporary structure, is located south of the Hardtwaldsiedlung housing cooperative.

From 1996-2011, operated jointly by the Protestant and Catholic Church, the building was used as the Maria Magdalena Ecumenical Community Centre (Ökumenisches Gemeindezentrum Maria Magdalena) and also home to the pentecostal All Christian Believers Fellowship.

Since 2012 the building is owned by the Serbian Orthodox Church (Hram Svete Petke - Congregation).

Using the facilities left behind by the US forces, the Nordstadt is home to the Karlsruhe Cougars Baseball team.