[3] The borough is 15 miles (24 km) south of Allentown and Bethlehem and 40 miles (64 km) north of Philadelphia, making Quakertown a border town of both the Delaware Valley and Lehigh Valley metropolitan areas.

On September 18, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, a convoy of wagons carrying the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown, under the command of Col. Thomas Polk of Charlotte, North Carolina, stopped in Quakertown.

The Liberty Bell was stored overnight behind the home of Evan Foulke (1237 West Broad Street), and the entourage stayed at the Red Lion Inn.

[4] In the decades before the Civil War, Quakertown was a hub of the Underground Railroad, with stationmaster Richard Moore aiding over 600 freedom seekers.

[5] The Civil War, along with national economic expansion, changed Quakertown from a tiny village to a commercial manufacturing center.

[citation needed] From 1901 to 1951, Quakertown was an hourly stop on the Lehigh Valley Transit Company's electric interurban trolley line from Allentown and Coopersburg through Quakertown then south through Perkasie, Sellersville, Souderton, Lansdale and Norristown to Philadelphia.

With car use limited during World War II due to gasoline rationing, the trolley line moved a very large number of passengers.

[citation needed] Following World War II, however, its business collapsed, and it ceased operation in 1951.

[7] As of 2022, Quakertown has extensive mall development along Pennsylvania Route 309, including restaurants, businesses, and retail outlets.

[citation needed] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), all land.

Licking Run begins in passes through Quakertown from the west to the east and drains into the Tohickon Creek.

Tohickon Creek, which drains into the Delaware River, flows past the northeastern edge of the borough.

The average wettest month is July which corresponds with the annual peak in thunderstorm activity.

Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ 12 inches (30 cm) of snow occur once every few years, particularly during nor’easters from December through February.

[10] The plant hardiness zone is 6b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −1.9 °F (−18.8 °C).

[8] The spring bloom typically begins by April 12 and fall color usually peaks by October 28.

[25] Due to the numerous industrial complexes in Quakertown, the borough currently has freight rail service provided by a branch of the East Penn Railroad along the former SEPTA tracks.

[37][38] Police services in the borough are provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by the Quakertown Borough Police Department, which consists of a Chief, Detective Lieutenant, Administrative Sergeant, two Patrol Sergeants, two Detectives, twelve Patrol Officers, and three support staff.