[3] Located along the Schuylkill River, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from Philadelphia, Norristown had a population of 35,748 as of the 2020 census.

[6] The downtown featured two department stores, several theaters, and enough goods and services that residents never had to leave town to find anything they needed.

[7] Although primarily settled by the English and a handful of Germans, Scots, Dutch, and Swedes, in the mid-1800s the Irish began arriving in large numbers, followed by waves of Italians at the turn of the 20th century.

[8] With the opening of new malls in nearby King of Prussia and Plymouth Meeting, the downtown declined in the decades after World War II.

Two major tributaries, the Stony Creek and the Saw Mill Run, bisect the town into thirds and empty directly into the Schuylkill.

The town's terrain is generally hilly, especially in the areas closest to downtown, which itself sits on a plateau surrounded by all three major waterways.

[21] Norristown's economy is based largely on institutions in the government, healthcare, legal, and social services sectors.

US 202 is the major north–south route through the town, connecting it with other nearby county seats such as Doylestown and West Chester.

Numerous rail lines, bus routes, multi-use trails, and parking areas converge at the Norristown Transportation Center (NTC).

The NTC contains a 522-space SEPTA commuter parking garage that also contains an intercity bus terminal that was formerly used by Bieber Transportation Group, Greyhound Lines, and Martz Trailways.

The Schuylkill River Trail, which connects Philadelphia to Pottstown and runs through downtown Norristown, also passes through the NTC complex.

Electricity and natural gas in Norristown is provided by PECO Energy Company, a subsidiary of Exelon.

[33] The Times Herald is the borough's daily newspaper, printing seven days a week and serving most of Montgomery County.

In 2009, the historic former Bell Telephone building was completely renovated for offices, and that same year the U.S. Roofing Corporation rehabbed the former Conte Luna pasta factory on East Main Street to house their operations.

Since the early 2000s, Regatta Apartments, the Rittenhouse condominium building, the Luxor, and dozens of new townhouses have contributed to a residential boom in the East End.

The Lafayette Street Extension Project, a $60 million effort by Montgomery County, PennDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is now open to traffic.

It has improved highway access and mobility into downtown Norristown by widening Lafayette Street and extending it eastward toward Ridge Pike and Conshohocken, with eventual connections to the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276) and the US 202 Dannehower Bridge.