Birthplace to the Count of Peñaflorida, nowadays the town is mainly industrial, with numerous small and medium-sized companies.

The most ancient historical data found in Azkoitia can be traced to the dolmens of Mari-Kurtz, in Izarraitz, which corroborate human presence in this area during the Neolithic period (2,500 BC to 1,200 BC). The remains of a hill-fort from the Iron Age (500 BC to 1st century AD) were also found in this area.

Azkoitia's historic quarter is very interesting, with many tower-houses such as Balda, Idiakaitz Zarra, Idiakez, also known as Etxebelz, Floreaga, and Insausti, where the Count of Peñaflorida was born. Also remarkable is the Baroque town hall, and the church of Santa María la Real, a Gothic-Renaissance temple with a Baroque tower.

Azkoitia is mostly an industrial city, the most important companies dealing with the manufacture and transformation of steel; such as foundries, steelworks, plus an important sector devoted to the manufacture of tools, machinery, and mechanical equipment.