Barasat, the District Head Quarter of North 24 Parganas, is now being a part of greater Kolkata . The town is situated on an important railway and roadway junction and well connected to the different parts of the State. Several significant roads like National Highway 34 (Krishnanagar Road leading towards North Bengal), Jessore Road (road leading to Jessore in Bangladesh via Bongaon), road leading to Basirhat etc. cross through the town.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata is only 8 km from Barasat.

Dated early in 1600 during the Mogul period, Sankar Chakraborty (a commander of the zamindar Pratapaditya and king of Jessore in present-day Bangladesh) came to Barasat, and established himself. In 1700, Hazarat Ekdil Shah, a renowned social worker moved to this town. While Maharaj Pratapaditya made his way to Kolkata from Jessore and Sirajudullah went to Kolkata from Murshidabad via Barasat on a road which became these two national highways later on.

Warren Hastings built his villa in the heart of Barasat and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was the town's first Indian deputy magistrate.Titumir, a farmer, fomented a revolution against indigo merchants in Barasat. Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Pyari Charan Sarkar and Kalikrishna Mitra were known for social reformation in the town, including women's education and widow remarriage.