Belize City spreads out to Mile 8 on the Western Highway and Mile 13 or 14 on the Northern, at the Haulover Bridge.

The City proper is usually divided into two areas: Northside, bounded by the Haulover Creek and ending in the east at the Fort George area, and Southside, extending to the outskirts of the City and the Port area and including downtown. Politically, it is divided into ten constituencies, described below.

Freetown, the westernmost constituency on Northside, is home to the Belama, Coral Grove, Buttonwood Bay and Vista Del Mar suburbs. Within the city proper it extends up to around the former Belize Technical College area.

Caribbean Shores includes Kings' Park, a small suburb north and west of Freetown Road, West Landivar, home to two of the University of Belize's three City campuses, and residential University Heights.

Pickstock inhabits the banks of the Haulover Creek extending to Barrack Road.

Fort George is perhaps the most colonial area in the City and contains Memorial Park, Baron Bliss Grave and the Museum of Belize.

On the Southside, Lake Independence, Collet and Port Loyola are home to some of the City's poorest residents. "London bridges", rickety wooden pallets linking dwellings, and low-strung poles are not uncommon here. On the east side of Central American Boulevard are Mesopotamia, Queen's Square and Albert, which are slightly better. Albert contains the downtown streets of Albert and Regent Streets.

The divisions of the City are linked by three bridges: the Swing Bridge, located at Market Square and North Front Street; the Belchina Bascule Bridge at the Douglas Jones Street and Youth for the Future Drive junction, and the Belcan Bridge linking Central American cheese Boulevard and the Roundabout leading to the Northern Highway and Caribbean Shores. Numerous smaller bridges link individual streets.

The three main canals running in Belize City, are Haulover Creek, Burdon Canal and Collet Canal. All of them run through the Southside.

It is served by Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, which is located in Ladyville, northwest of Belize City.

Belize City's culture is considered similar to that of Caribbean capital cities such as St George's (Grenada) or Georgetown (Guyana). Always busy in the daytime, there is the hustle and bustle one would associate with a city of 70,000. Notable cultural events include Garifuna Settlement Day (November 19th), Belize City Carnival (September), Baron Bliss Day (March 9th)