Ipswich’s urban development overspills from the boundary of the town and borough significantly, with 75% of the town’s population living within the borough at the time of the 2011 Census, when it was the fourth-largest urban area in the United Kingdom’s East of England region, and the 42nd-largest urban area in England and Wales. In 2011, the town of Ipswich was found to have a population of 133,384, while the Ipswich Built-up area was estimated to have a population of 178,835 which extends from the town of Ipswich to Kesgrave, Woodbridge, Bramford and Martlesham Heath.

Ipswich is one of England’s oldest towns, and is claimed to be the oldest still continuing town to have been established and developed by the English, with continuous settlement since early Anglo-Saxon times.

Ipswich is home to many artists and has a number of galleries, the most prominent of which are at Christchurch Mansion, the Town Hall, in Ancient House and the Artists’ Gallery in Electric House. The visual arts are further supported with many sculptures at easily accessible sites. The Borough Council promotes the creation of new public works of art and has been known to make this a condition of planning permission. The town has three museums: Ipswich Museum, the Ipswich Transport Museum and Christchurch Mansion.

The town has two railway stations – Ipswich and Derby Road. It is situated on the Great Eastern main line from London to Norwich, the East Suffolk line to Lowestoft and the Felixstowe branch line. Trains in Ipswich are run by Greater Anglia, who operate direct services to cities in the region including London, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Norwich and Peterborough.

Ipswich’s sole professional association football club is Ipswich Town, which was established in 1878 and, as of 2021, plays in the third-tier EFL League One at the 30,300-capacity Portman Road stadium. Elected to the Football League in 1938, they have a strong rivalry with Norwich City, and were the previous club of the two most successful England managers, Alf Ramsey, who was buried in the Old Cemetery in the town on his death in 1999, and Bobby Robson.

The speedway team, the Ipswich Witches, have ridden at Foxhall Stadium on the outskirts of Ipswich since 1951 and have won the top-tier league title four times, the knock-out cup five times and the second-tier knock-out cup twice. The stadium is also used regularly for Hot Rod, Stock Car and Banger racing events, hosting major events throughout the year on the stadium’s outer tarmac oval.

Ipswich is the location of the University of Suffolk, Suffolk’s first Higher Education Institution (HEI), established in 2007. It was originally University Campus Suffolk, a collaborative venture involving the University of Essex in Colchester, the University of East Anglia in Norwich, various further education colleges and Suffolk County Council. However, the university was granted its own degree awarding powers in November 2015, and in May 2016 it was awarded university status.