[1] Smithills lies on the lower south facing slopes of the West Pennine Moors.

The name Smithills derives from the Old English smeþe meaning smooth and hyll, a hill and was recorded as Smythell in 1322.

[3] In 1877, the south-eastern area of Halliwell became the ninth electoral ward of the County Borough of Bolton.

[3][4] The remaining north-western area became known as Halliwell Higher End until 1894 when it changed its name to Smithills and became one of the civil parishes of the Bolton Rural District, being formed from the rural part of Halliwell parish, on 30 September 1898 the parish was abolished and merged with Bolton[5] and it too became part of the County Borough of Bolton.

[7] The ward is also part of the Bolton West constituency and has been represented in the House of Commons by the Conservative Party MP Chris Green since 2015.