Kings Heath came into being as a village in the 18th century with the improvements to the Alcester - Birmingham road acting as a catalyst for new houses and farms. Prior to this the area was largely uninhabited wasteland run by the Royal Borough of Kings Norton.

A number of independent shops have taken advantage of relatively cheaper rents in the side roads off High Street, and recently there has been an influx of boutiques and even the start of an (organic) cafe culture. In 2008, the businesses agreed to a Business Improvement District, which top-slices a proportion of their local business taxes to go directly into improvements and promotion of the area.

Kings Heath contains two parks: Kings Heath Park and Highbury Park, the former being famous as the setting for the popular ATV series Gardening Today.