A large body of research in epidemiology and population health has investigated relationships between neighborhood characteristics (e.g., crime rate, density of fast food restaurants, distance to parks) and a myriad of health outcomes (e.g., obesity, mental health, substance use), with an explosion of research within the last decade, which spans a variety of disciplines, for example, anthropology, sociology, criminology, geography, demography, urban planning, medicine and epidemiology. This chapter provides a historical perspective to neighborhood health research. In addition, this chapter provides a systematic survey of new and notable developments in the field of neighborhoods and health as well as provides directions for future research. It also describes the motivation and rationale for this book and guides the reader through the structure of the rest of the book.