It is located on the banks of the Palar River in the northeastern part of Tamil Nadu and is separated into four zones that are further subdivided into 60 wards, covering an area of 153.14  km2 and housing a population of 315128 as reported by the 2011 census.

The recorded history of Vellore dates back to the ninth century, as seen from a Chola inscription in the Annamalaiyar Temple in Tiruvannamalai.

[14] Vellore is strategically located and well-connected by rail and bus routes to major towns in the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.

[15][16] The central prison in Vellore, established in 1830, had imprisoned notable Indian independence activists like C. Rajagopalachari and Ramaswamy Venkataraman.

Other landmarks include the Aruganthampoodi mausoleums, located close to the section of National Highway 48 between Vellore and Arcot, where the family members of Tipu Sultan were buried; and the Muthu Mandapam, a memorial on the banks of Palar River built by the Tamil Nadu Government to honor Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last ruler of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka, who ruled from 1798 to 1815 and was imprisoned in Vellore Fort for 17 years until his death.

Vellore Fort withstood Hyder Ali's siege from 1780 to 1782, and would later become the base for Lord Cornwallis’ march on Bangalore to defeat Tipu Sultan.

Under these regulations, Hindus were prohibited from wearing religious marks on their foreheads while on duty, and Muslims were required to shave their beards and trim their moustaches.

[citation needed] In May 1806, a few soldiers protested against these changes and were sent to Fort St. George in Chennai, where they were publicly lashed and discharged from the army.

With the levels of resentment towards the British already high, the sons of the deceased Tipu Sultan exacerbated the conflict by assisting the mutineers who revolted on 10 July.

There has been notable growth of small scale industries and tanneries in the district, which has generated employment opportunities and benefitted farmers.

The functions of the Vellore Municipal Corporation are divided into six departments: General Administration/Personnel, Engineering, Revenue, Public Health, Planning, and Information Technology (IT).

Different special task forces focus on prohibition enforcement, district crime, and social justice and human rights.

Automobile and mechanical companies of global brands, including SAME Deutz-Fahr, TVS–Brakes India, Mitsubishi, Greaves Cotton and MRF have their manufacturing units in the area.

[58] Kramski Stamping and Molding India Pvt Ltd, a German precision metal and plastic integrated-component manufacturing company with automotive, telecommunications, electronics and medical applications is located in Erayankadu, near Vellore.

[60] Christian Medical College & Hospital (CMCH), on Ida Scudder Road in the heart of the city, is Vellore's largest private employer and has a large floating population from other parts of India and abroad.

[62] Sri Narayani Aayurvedic Centre was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik in August 2019.

[72] Most government-run arts and science colleges in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram and Cuddalore districts are affiliated with Thiruvalluvar University.

[66][67] It was established under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956, and was founded in 1984 as a self-financing institution called the Vellore Engineering College.

The institute is named in honor of the American philanthropist William Jay Schieffelin, who played a key role in its founding.

During British rule, Tipu Sultan's family and the last king of Sri Lanka, Vikrama Rajasinha, were held as royal prisoners in the fort.

The first rebellion against British rule erupted at this fort in 1806, and it witnessed the massacre of the Vijayanagara royal family of Emperor Sriranga Raya.

The main walls are built of massive granite stones, surrounded by a broad moat fed with water by subterranean pipes from the Suryagunta reservoir.

It consists of art, archaeology, prehistory, weapons, sculptures, bronzes, wood carvings, handicrafts, numismatics, philately, botany, geology, and zoology exhibits.

[83] Special exhibits include a double bronze sword from Vellore Taluk dating to 400 BCE, stone sculptures from the late Pallava to Vijayanagar periods, ivory chess boards and coins used by the last Kandian King of Sri Lanka, Vikrama Raja Singha.

Bus service is available to Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupathi, Kadapa, Anantapur, Salem, Chittoor, Kuppam, Kolar, Kolar Gold Fields, Madanapalle, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Karur, Kumbakonam, Aranthangi, Mannargudi, Nagapattinam, Hosur, Marthandam, Thoothukudi, Thiruchendur, Sengottai, Cuddalore, Kurnool, Kadiri, Trichy, Thuraiyur, Thammampatti, Thiruvannamalai, Tindivanam, Pondicherry, Kallakkurichi, Tirupattur, Viluppuram, Kanyakumari, Arani, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kanchipuram, Arakkonam, Tiruttani, Kalpakkam, Pallikonda, Ponnai, Gudiyatham, Dharmapuri, Erode, Tirupur, Palakkad, Krishnagiri, Mumbai Gingee and other major towns and cities in South India.

It is a major railway junction on the Chennai-Bangalore broad-gauge line extending to many cities including Chennai, Bangalore, Tirupati, New Delhi, Howrah and Kanyakumari.

[95] In September 2023, it was reported that initial tests of signaling and other equipment were successful and that the airport would soon be opened for commercial flight operations.

[96] Vellore is known for producing number of national and international weightlifters, M Tamil Selvan, a silver medal winner at the 1978, 1982 Commonwealth games and represented India in 1980 Olympics.

In 2018, the Government of Tamil Nadu announced a sports complex would be set up with facilities for 400 metre athletics track, gallery, administrative office besides grounds for hockey, basketball, kabaddi, badminton and tennis.

[109][110] The municipal corporation operates the Netaji Daily Market, that caters to the needs of the city and the surrounding rural areas.