[3] Following European settlement of Melbourne, development in Balwyn North was slow and largely as agricultural land.

It is named for the estate of Andrew Murray from the Gaelic bal and the Saxon wyn, meaning 'the home of the vine'.

[5] The formally recognised traditional owners for the area in which Balwyn North is located are the Wurundjeri people.

[7] Balwyn North was one of the first Melbourne suburbs to be developed according to the pattern of postwar suburbia, with expansive, quiet residential areas designed as family homes and relatively few business districts.

Greythorn was developed later than North Balwyn, but has had residents living there since the 1830s, when the Maughan and Towt families bought large tracts of land in the area.

[15] Balwyn North is host to a large number of parks and reserves, which are used for both passive and active recreation.

A number of bus routes connect Balwyn North with suburbs such as Box Hill, Camberwell, Doncaster and Templestowe.