The town is the administrative centre of Wrexham county borough. It is also the site of the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (a University of Wales Associated College) and the home of the Wrexham AFC football team.

Until the 19^th century, the town was built out of timber and many buildings had thatched roofs. The continuing development of the town has converted it into a mixture of old and new, the way you see it today.

Saint Giles church is one of the most amazing pieces of architecture in Wrexham. The parish church is considered to be one of the finest mediaeval churches in Wales. The church was originally dedicated to St. Aegidus, which is the Latin equivalent of St. Giles and St. Silin. It has close associations with Elihu Yale whose tomb lies not far from the tower in the churchyard. He was the founder of Yale University; a full-scale replica of the parish church tower stands at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. 

There is known to have been a church on this site in Wrexham since the 13^th century, but the original church was destroyed by fire in 1463 and was rebuilt by 1472. An inscription on the tower states that it had been completed by 1506, but there is evidence that work continued for some time after that date. The tower is said to have been the inspiration for the Victoria Tower, Westminster.

Artists have also left important historic evidence of the town. The work of the artists shows many great buildings of the town's earlier period. Some of the greatest buildings still survive today. These include Erddig Hall and Croes Newidd. Others such as Acton Hall have been destroyed.

Other important pieces of the towns historic past include the racecourse, which was established between Mold Road and Crispin Lane in the late 1800's and later became the home of Wrexham Football Club.

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