It is a community and electoral ward of Torfaen County Borough Council.

The area is mainly made up of 1950s and 1960s houses with occasional older Victorian properties.

The main thoroughfare is Thornhill Road, which eventually becomes Ty Pwca Road as it heads towards Pontnewydd.

Upper Cwmbran was home to the Cwmbran Brewery which closed in December 2009, and a Welsh longhouse called Gelligravog, built in 1610 above The Square.

The Square is a collection of miners' cottages from about 1820.