Surry Hills is surrounded by the suburbs of Darlinghurst to the north, Chippendale and Haymarket to the west, Moore Park and Paddington to the east and Redfern to the south.

West of the boundary, which included present-day Surry Hills, was considered suitable for farming and was granted to military officers and free settlers.

After Palmer's political failures, his reduced financial circumstances forced the first subdivision and sale of his estate in 1814.

The suburb remained one of contrasts for much of the nineteenth century, with the homes of wealthy merchants mixed with that of the commercial and working classes.

The Devonshire Street Cemetery, where many of the early settlers were buried, was later moved to build the Sydney railway terminus.

One purchase was by Thomas Broughton and subsequently acquired by George Hill who constructed Durham Hall on this and adjoining lots.

The Sydney underworld figure Kate Leigh (1881–1964), lived in Surry Hills for more than 80 years.

[6] Surry Hills was favoured by newly arrived families after World War II when property values were low and accommodation was inexpensive.

It passed the Dowling Street Depot, then turned left into Todman Avenue, where it terminated at West Kensington.

The area is also home to a large LGBTQIA+ community, where Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (Pride Parade) takes place each year.

Published in 1948, it portrays the life of a Catholic Irish-Australian family in Surry Hills, which was an inner city slum at the time.

Surry Hills is within easy walking distance of the Sydney CBD, and is included in a widening network of cycleways.

Major construction took place on the Surry Hills section of the CBD and South East Light Rail which opened in December 2019 and April 2020 respectively.

[14] Surry Hills boasts a diverse range of cafes and restaurants serving a wide variety of cooking styles and cultures.

Surry Hills has a number of heritage-listed sites, including the following sites listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register: The following buildings are listed on the now defunct Register of the National Estate:[30] Surry Hills is largely composed of grand Victorian terraced houses and some complexes of public housing units to the west of Riley Street.

Demographically, Surry Hills is now characterised as a mixture of wealthy newcomers who have gentrified the suburb, and long-time residents.

Surry Hills was categorised as a high wealth area, with a median weekly household income of $2,308, compared to the Australian average of $1,746.

The most common foreign countries of birth were England 6.4%, New Zealand 3.4%, China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) 3.3%, Thailand 3.0% and the United States of America 2.1%.