Newtownards is situated at the northern tip of Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland.

Bangor is about six miles north of Newtownards, while Belfast is ten miles west. Comber is south-west, and Donaghadee is north-east.

One of the most prominent features is Scrabo Hill, topped by the historic Scrabo Tower, constructed in 1857. The hill is a dolerite intrusion, formed from molten magma that solidified beneath the surface during the early Jurassic era.

During the last Ice Age, glaciers shaped much of the landscape around Newtownards. As ice sheets advanced and retreated, they left behind drumlins, elongated hills made of glacial till.

Strangford Lough is south-east of Newtownards. This large sea lough was also shaped by glacial activity and features a mix of rock outcrops, mudflats, and inter-tidal zones.

The earliest inhabitants of the area where Newtownards would later form were probably Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, who left tools and artifacts behind as a testament to their existence. Neolithic farmers came later, cultivating the land and building monumental structures like the dolmens and standing stones that can be found in the area.

In 540 AD, St. Finian founded Movilla Abbey on a hill overlooking Strangford Lough, about a mile north-east of what is now the town centre. The Vikings sacked the Christian settlement sometime after 824, although the monastic settlement survived for about a thousand years, until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1542.

The founding of Newtownards can be traced to the Norman invasion of Ulster in the late 12th century. Sir Hugh de Lacy, a Norman lord, established a settlement, building a motte-and-bailey castle, and people began settling around it.

The history of Newtownards is peppered with conflict. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the town experienced significant turmoil with the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and the subsequent Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland. The town was fortified, and its strategic location made it a focal point in these conflicts.

North Down and the Arts were briefly held by United Irish insurgents in the second Irish Rebellion of 1798. Despite initial successes, the rebellion was quickly suppressed by Crown forces.

During The Troubles, Newtownards, like many Northern Irish towns, experienced a great deal of violence. The Troubles lasted from the late 1960s to 1998, although related conflicts occasionally emerged after that time. Tensions between the Protestant and Catholic communities led to incidents of bombings, shootings, and acts of intimidation. The Troubles were a time of socio-political strife. Both loyalist (Protestant) and republican (Catholic) paramilitary groups were active in the area. The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) were prominent loyalist groups, while the Irish Republican Army (IRA) represented the republican side. These groups were involved in several violent activities, including attacks on each other and civilians.

The British Army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) maintained a presence in Newtownards to curb the violence, setting up security checkpoints, patrols, and surveillance. Curfews, roadblocks, and a constant threat of violence affected local schools and social activities. The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was a significant step towards peace, although the wounds have not entirely healed.

Although the Great Famine of the late 1840s and early 1950s struck the town hard, for most of its history Newtownards has had a strong economy. In the late 18th century, the town was known for its linen industries. The establishment of the Market House in 1770 facilitated the growth of local markets, attracting traders and artisans to the area. The Industrial Revolution further spurred economic growth, as did the construction of the Belfast and County Down Railway in the 19th century, linking the town to Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland.

Today, the town is home to several industrial estates and business parks, and agriculture remains an important sector, as the fertile lands of County Down support a variety of crops and livestock.

Local attractions include Scrabo Tower, mentioned earlier, as well as Movilla Abbey. Although nothing remains of Finnian's original Celtic Abbey, the 15th-century Augustinian ruins remain a common tourist attraction.

Other attractions include St. Patrick's Church and Newtownards Priory. Constructed in the Gothic Revival style in the late 19th century, it continues to serve the Roman Catholic community. Newtownards Priory was originally a Dominican (Black Friars) priory founded in 1244. Although it was dissolved in 1541, the site remains a historical landmark. However, only the lower parts of the nave and two blocked doors in the south wall leading to a demolished cloister are original.

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