[8] A large population of Delaware Indians was also forcibly resettled there in the early 18th century after they lost rights to their land in the Walking Purchase.

Canassatego of the Six Nations, enforcing the Walking Purchase of behalf of George Thomas, Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania, ordered the Delaware Indians to go to two places on the Susquehanna River, one of which was present-day Sunbury.

In 1745, Presbyterian missionary David Brainerd described the city as being located on both the east and west sides of the river, and on an island.

Brainerd reported that the city housed 300 Indians, half of which were Delawares and the other Seneca and Tutelo.

"[10]: 215  According to Weslager, "the Pennsylvania authorities had no opposition to the Six Nations reserving Wyoming and Shamokin from the sale, since friendly Delawares, including Teedyuskung (also known as Teedyuscung) and his people living in those settlements--and any other Indians who might be placed there--constituted a buffer against Connecticut.

[14] It was named after Sunbury-on-Thames, a town in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, England, just outside Greater London.

Lorenzo Da Ponte, the librettist of Mozart and of Salieri, lived in Sunbury for some years after his arrival in America.

In July 1883, American inventor Thomas Edison installed the first successful three-wire electric lighting system in at what was then known as the City Hotel.

[31] Weis Markets, a regional supermarket chain operating in seven states, is headquartered in Sunbury.

[32] The Squeeze-In on Market Street is an iconic business that sells hot dogs seven days a week with just five stools.

Zimmerman Motors on Market Street is a family business that began making horse-drawn carriages in 1889 and now sells automobiles.

Shikellamy School District The Degenstein Community Library at 40 South Fifth Street provides books, DVDs, internet access, educational classes, summer reading, and adult programs.

The Northumberland County Historical Society maintains the Charlotte Darrah Walter Genealogical Library.

In the episode titled "Nixon vs. Kennedy" in first season of the AMC cable drama Mad Men a train supposedly carrying the unrecognizable body of Pvt.

[37] On September 29, 2020, Sunbury was featured on the Comedy Central television series Tosh.0 in a recurring video category called Shithole of the Week, a segment in which host Daniel Tosh takes images or videos of various communities found online and will select the "Winner" based on the comedic negative features based in that community.

The new waterfront development in Sunbury will provide a marina with transient boat docks, walking trails, gardens, an amphitheater and a new accessible fishing pier.

[43] A vacant building in the Shikellamy State Park along the river is under consideration for redevelopment as an environmental research and education center.

A Brookings Institution publication has cited reasons including a lack of inter-municipal coordination and cooperation, a changing employment base and a dearth of jobs paying a living wage, out-migration of young people, an aging population, the need for workforce development, and an inequitable local tax structure.

[44] The Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way in 2006 commissioned a study regarding what matters most in area communities.

They found that some major concerns were alcohol and drug use among all age groups and its effects on the community, the dependency on social services and assistance across generations, and a lack of public transportation.

The Susquehanna Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) received $173,500 in planning grant funding (2005) to support the redevelopment of the Wilhold Manufacturing facility in Sunbury.