[1] The town's motto is "concordia res parvae crescunt" ("through harmony, small things increase").

Located to the north of Aberdeen city centre, Old Aberdeen was for a long time fairly isolated at the edge of the city, being followed to the north by the River Don, Seaton Park and the small Brig o' Balgownie hamlet.

Old Aberdeen was an important political, ecclesiastical and cultural centre since the Late Middle Ages.

[2] In the 1630s the Covenanters challenged the Doctors of Aberdeen by holding a meeting in Muchalls Castle and responding to certain letters issued by the doctors, thus setting the stage for the first battle of the Bishops' Wars, when William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal and the Marquess of Montrose led a Covenanter army of 9,000 men over the Causey Mounth to attack forces at the Bridge of Dee,[3] effectively gaining control of Old Aberdeen.

Additionally the area includes a small police station, a pub, a bakery, and until recently its own Post Office.

Major historic buildings in Old Aberdeen include: the late 15th Century King's College Chapel, one of two surviving Scottish medieval churches with open "crown" spires, and which has the largest surviving collection of medieval woodcarving in any Scottish building; St Machar's Cathedral itself; the recently restored Old Town House (early 18th century); and the Brig o' Balgownie (14th Century), now pedestrianised, and which is a contender for the title of Scotland's oldest surviving bridge.

The building is built of granite and is of restrained but elegant early Georgian design, with a fine cupola above the façade.

Just south of King's College and across the High Street lie the Powis Gates, an impressive and imposing archway with a Near Eastern influence demonstrated in its 'minaret' towers.

[8] To the north boundary of Old Aberdeen lies Seaton Park, one of the city's largest open spaces.