It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth. The port of Blyth dates from the 12th century, but the development of the modern town only began in the first quarter of the 18th century. The main industries which helped the town prosper were coal mining and shipbuilding , with the salt trade, fishing, and the railways also playing an important role. These industries have largely vanished, but the port still thrives, receiving paper and pulp from Scandinavia for the newspaper industries of England and Scotland.
The town was seriously affected when its principal industries went into decline, and it has undergone much regeneration since the early s. The Keel Row Shopping Centre, opened in , brought major high street retailers to Blyth, and helped to revitalise the town centre. The market place has recently been re-developed, with the aim of attracting further investment to the town.
The Quayside has also seen much redevelopment and has been transformed into a peaceful open space, the centrepiece of which is a sculpture commemorating the industry that once thrived there. On the opposite side of the river are the nine wind turbines of the Blyth Harbour Wind Farm, which were constructed along the East Pier in They were joined in by Blyth Offshore Wind Farm, which consisted of two turbines situated 1 kilometre 0.
These were the first two offshore wind turbines in the UK. These wind turbines were all decommissioned, with the final two being removed in A new windfarm further off the coast, composed of five turbines, was commissioned in Blyth is also home to the non-League football club Blyth Spartans , famed for their " giant-killing " feats in the FA Cup. The place-name Blyth is first attested in as Blida , and takes its name from the river Blyth.
The town of Blyth is referred to as Blithmuth in and Blithemuth in Had this name persisted, the town would today be referred to as "Blythmouth", on the analogy of Tynemouth to the south.
