With the 2001 merger of Urawa, Ōmiya, and Yono, it was decided that a new name, one fitting for this newly created prefectural capital, was needed.

In fourth was Saitama (彩玉市), written with an alternative kanji for sai (彩) which means "colorful".

The sai (埼) used in the prefectural name is a rare form of a common character (崎) that means "cape" or "promontory".

The city is located 20 to 30 km north of central Tokyo, roughly at the center of the Kantō Plain.

Saitama has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.

For the histories of Urawa, Ōmiya and Yono before the merger, see: On April 1, 2005, Saitama absorbed the city of Iwatsuki to its east, which became a new ward, Iwatsuki-ku.

[5] Saitama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 64 members.

The executive mayor, who is directly elected, is Sōichi Aikawa, an independent backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito.

On May 24, 2009, Aikawa lost his bid for reelection against Hayato Shimizu, who was backed by the opposition DPJ.

The city is one of many commercial centers of the Greater Tokyo area and serves Saitama Prefecture, North Kanto, and northeast Honshu.

Ōmiya Station, part of the Shinkansen high-speed train network, serves as the biggest railway hub in the prefecture.

The city and Tokorozawa are home to the Japan Professional Basketball League team the Saitama Broncos.

Since 2013, the city has hosted the Saitama Criterium cycling race sponsored by the Tour de France, held at the end of October.