[6] The town is largely regarded as a suburb of Greensboro and as development has grown, the town has slowly transformed from a rural farming area into a bedroom community primarily from Northern transplants.

It features a town hall, along Oak Ridge Road (aka NC 150), west of Battleground Avenue (aka US 220), as well as a shopping center east of Battleground Avenue and Auburn Road, located on the eastern portion of NC 150.

[7] In February 1781 patriot forces under General Henry Lee III and British forces under General Banastre Tarleton skirmished at the crossroads during the American Revolutionary War.

[7] Summerfield School Gymnasium and Community Center has a gym that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

[11] Former North Carolina Governor Alexander Martin had a house that he lived in the town square of Summerfield, which is not standing today.

There is currently a historical home on the square known as the Martin House, but it was lived in by a son of the Governor.

In June 2024, the North Carolina General Assembly voted to deannex close to 1000 acres owned by developer David Couch after officials and people living in the area opposed his planned housing development.

While an appeal of the action is possible, Couch would get to develop the land without being denied permission by the town government.