37% of the municipal territory is covered by settlement area, 17% by wood, 27% by farming ground, 17.6% by transport infrastructures and 1.2% by waters.

[4] The present municipality traces back to two settlements, one of which is Opfikon itself, situated right from the river Glatt, whereas on the other side of it lies Oberhusen.

However, the name was later also used for a smithy and a mill that were built near the bridge at the left-hand riverbank, and round which eventually developed another settlement.

When the whole political order was changed during the Helvetic Republic (1798–1803), Opfikon became part of the municipality of Kloten, that pertained to the district of Bassersdorf.

Due to the growing importance of the former hamlet Glattbrugg, the name Oberhusen is the longer the less used, and the municipality as a whole is now often called Opfikon-Glattbrugg to draw a distinction to Opfikon proper as a part of it.

[4] The historical population is given in the following table:[6] Among Christian churches, there is the Arulmihu Sivan Temple located in Glattbrugg.

[4] Thanks in part to its favourable location between the city centre and Zurich airport, several large companies have their headquarters in Opfikon.

Hotelplan is the second-largest Swiss tour operator, and its subsidiary Interhome provides around 50,000 holiday homes and apartments in 31 countries.

[4] The Schule Opfikon, the communal school, has classes in the Lättenwiesen, Oberhausen, Mettlen and Halden campuses in Glattbrugg.

[3] The oldest ensured evidence of the name (Obtinchofa/Obfinchoven) dates back to 1153;[6] the attribution of an earlier record Ubinchova in a document from the year 744 is doubtful.