The development straddles the boundary between two council districts: the Borough of Fareham to the south and west, and the City of Winchester to the north and east.

Whiteley is located in southern Hampshire between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton and close to the market town of Fareham.

Barn Farmhouse which remains in North Whiteley is listed by Historic England as a C17 timber frame house with a C18 extension.

The wooded areas in Whiteley were used to provide shelter to troops in the build-up of forces for transportation to northern France in preparation for D-Day during the second world war.

In the early 1980s Hampshire County Council developed draft proposals for land north of what was then known as the western wards of Fareham.

In September 2007, British Land announced plans to spend upwards of £100m redeveloping Whiteley Village and reconstructing it as a district centre, while also adding housing and a hotel to the area.

Apart from the residential areas, which house around 10,000 residents, the main focus is the Whiteley Shopping Centre, an open air pedestrianised mall https://www.whiteleyshopping.co.uk/ (not to be confused with 'Whiteley Village' in Walton-on-Thames).

Stores include Marks & Spencer, Next plc, Boots, WH Smith and many other common High Street names but there are also other units that were specifically earmarked for local enterprises.

• The local GP surgery (Meon Health Practice) has faced staffing versus demand issues, resulting in 'Emergency Appointments only' in the last 2 months of 2024.

Hampshire's application to build a new secondary school within Whiteley Town is under consideration and will, if approved, mitigate this problem from 2027 onward.

Whiteley is bordered on the East by public woodlands managed by Forestry England, leading up to Botley Wood and Everett's and Mushes Copses.

Whiteley is reported by the local health authority to have a higher than average rate of divorce and separation (11% versus 6% nationally[8]).