It is the administrative headquarters of Raebareli district, and a part of Lucknow Division and comes under the Uttar Pradesh State Capital Region (UP-SCR).

[5] Raebareli is supposedly a city founded by Bhars, and originally called Bharauli or Barauli.

This lineage, known for its special bloodline, signifies both royal heritage and leadership within the region, marking the 'Athhaisa (अट्ठाईसा)' Srivastavas as distinguished historical rulers.

[4] Apart from the gate on the west side, it is mostly in ruins; it consists of an outer layer of brick surrounding an earthwork core.

[4] The other no longer exists; in the late 19th century a dispensary was built on the site by Raja Drigjibai Singh of Murarmau.

[4] Rae Bareli was also spelled as "Raibareilly" which is actively being used in various places including central government managed websites such as Vahan Citizen Services.

[4] Raja Har Parshad "Taluqedar of Naseerabad" a, native of this town, was the Nazim or Commissioner of Khairabad Division during the reign of the ex-king.

He joined the mutineers and went up to Nepal with Begum Hazrat Mahal of Oudh dynasty and on 31 December 1858 while returning after ensuring her safety, he was killed in a battle with British army.

[4] At the turn of the 20th century, Raebareli was described as an important commercial centre for the surrounding region, especially since the coming of the railway.

[4] The city had six marketplaces: Purana Bazar (also called Qila Darwaza), Jahanabad, Capperganj, Baillieganj, Graceyganj, and Whishganj.

[4] Baillieganj, founded by the British official D.C. Baillie, served as "the main wholesale market in the district" at the time.

[4] It was distinct in that it did not levy an octroi fee on goods brought there, "so that it serves the purposed of a bonded warehouse".

[4] During the Indian famine of 1899–1900, the increased demand for food in the Bombay Presidency triggered a surge in the grain trade at Baillieganj.

[4] Other landmarks at the time included the dispensary and sarai built by Drigjibai Singh after the British annexation of Oudh State in the 1850s.

[4] Built around the same time was a large masonry bridge across the Sai, commissioned by the British deputy commissioner W. Glynn and partly financed by some Bais Rajput taluqdars.

The rainy season is from mid-June to mid-September when it gets an average rainfall of 1200 mm mostly from the south-west monsoon winds.

[11] Raebareli has been ranked 1st best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 3  population under 3 lakhs cities) in India according to 'Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 Results'[12] Raebareli is one of the six districts of the Lucknow Division, which is headed by a Commissioner headquartered at Lucknow.

[3] Employment status varied significantly according to gender, with 48.81% of males being either main or marginal workers, compared to only 12.93% of females.

[3] The slum areas in Raebareli range in size from about 34 to 585 households and have between 2 (in Bairiya Ka Purwa) and 30 (in Balapur) tap water access points.

[3] The number of toilets installed in people's homes ranges from 3 in Bigulchi Ka Purwa to 200 in Chaturbhuj Pur.

Raebareli is on the route of National Highway 30, between Lucknow and Prayagraj and connected to major cities.

It has been constructed to divert the traffic between Lucknow and Prayagraj, allowing vehicles to get to their destinations without entering the city of Raebareli.

A rail line is being built from Raebareli to Faizabad via Akbarganj, on the Northern Railways network.

Some of the destinations covered by trains passing through Rae Bareli Junction are Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Jaisalmer, Shaktinagar, Puri, Bhopal, Howrah, Amritsar, Jodhpur, Bareilly, Dehradun, Lalkuan, Jammu Tawi, Saharanpur, Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kanpur and others.