The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Norton with surrounding Wise County for statistical purposes.

The settlement was originally known as "Prince's Flats," but in a bid to convince the Louisville and Nashville Railroad[7] to build a depot there, the town was renamed after the then-current head of the railroad, Eckstein Norton.

Norton was located on the Wilderness Trail, which had been blazed by Daniel Boone, and later extensively mapped and settled by Christopher Gist.

The settlement developed as a central hub for the timber trade until the coal boom of the 1830-40s.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.5 square miles (19 km2), virtually all of which is land.

The city of Norton is located in the 9th congressional district, currently served by Morgan Griffith.

In 2021, Norton voted for Glenn Youngkin over Terry McAuliffe at a greater than forty-five percent margin.