It is bound by Van Cortlandt Park and Woodlawn Cemetery to the north, the Bronx River to the east, and Mosholu Parkway to the southwest.

[5] Due to its use in city publications, subway maps, and local media, "Norwood" is the neighborhood's more common name, but the area is also known as "Bainbridge", most consistently within the neighborhood's formerly Irish American community that is centered on the commercial zone of Bainbridge Avenue and East 204th Street.

[6] The name "Norwood" itself does not carry a great deal of currency as do nearby neighborhoods such as Riverdale and Woodlawn.

[7] At the time of the Civil War, the area was Westchester County farmland on the border of West Farms and Yonkers.

Annexed to New York City in 1873 along with the rest of the West Bronx, the area's character shifted from rural to suburban by the turn of the 20th century.

Contemporary maps show that it was then considered part of Williamsbridge, with which it continues to share a post office.

Columbia Oval was used for sporting events[10][11][12] including the first United States marathon (40 km), from Stamford, Connecticut in 1896.

[19] In the first half of the 20th century Norwood shared with the rest of the Bronx a population made up largely of European-origin Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish families affluent enough to leave Manhattan.

Thomas Maguire, the owner, and five others, were charged with smuggling thousands of bomb detonators to Ireland from Tucson via New York.

The end of the Troubles period, with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, encouraged some residents to return voluntarily to Ireland, particularly with the improvement of the northern economy.

The growth of the economy of the Republic of Ireland – the so-called "Celtic Tiger" – persuaded some residents to move there.

Others have continued to live in New York, moving to the Bronx neighborhoods of Riverdale and Woodlawn Heights, or to nearby Yonkers.

[21] Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of Norwood was 40,494, a decrease of 323 (0.8%) from the 40,817 counted in 2000.

Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Norwood and Bedford Park are considered low-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.

The countries which are represented by at least 2.5% (358 individuals) of the neighborhood's foreign born population are the Dominican Republic (21.17%), Mexico (7.81%), Jamaica (6.49%), Ecuador (5.65%), Bangladesh (5.42%), Guyana (4.64%), the Philippines (4.52%), Albania (4.07%), Ireland (3.00%), and Pakistan (2.81%).

Other languages spoken at home by more than 0.5% of the population of Norwood include Tagalog (1.89%), Urdu (0.93%), Korean (0.79%), French (0.68%), Serbo-Croatian (0.69%), Chinese (0.60%) and Gujarati (0.58%).

[23]: 14 The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Norwood and Bedford Park is 0.0078 milligrams per cubic metre (7.8×10−9 oz/cu ft), more than the city average.

[23]: 13  In Norwood and Bedford Park, 33% of residents are obese, 19% are diabetic, and 35% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively.

[23]: 10 The Montefiore Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital are located in Norwood.

[36] The United States Postal Service operates the Van Cott Station at 3102 Decatur Avenue.

[37] Norwood and Bedford Park generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update].

[38] Norwood and Bedford Park's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is more than the rest of New York City.

[24]: 24 (PDF p. 55) [23]: 6  Additionally, 70% of high school students in Norwood and Bedford Park graduate on time, lower than the citywide average of 75%.

C. J. Hughes of The New York Times stated that according to residents of the Norwood area, the high schools in the community were "hit-or-miss".