Like in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language is by far the most widely spoken language in Freetown and is spoken by the entire residents of Western Area Urban District.

The Freetown City Council is the largest of the six municipal governments in Sierra Leone.

In 2007, the Western Area Urban District gained nine seats in the Parliament of Sierra Leone when district representation started to be measured by population.

[3] The Western Area Urban District is the wealthiest in Sierra Leone, having the largest economy, financial and cultural center, as well as the seat of the country's central government.

During the course of the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, the Western Area Urban District was selected to trial a vaccine for the disease as it had been heavily affected by the outbreak.