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D The land which is now Thorne was once inhabited by Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age people. It became a permanent settlement around AD700, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The main industries in the town have traditionally been coal mining and farming.

Thorne lies east of the River Don, on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal, at an elevation of around 16 feet (5 metres) above sea level, on the Yorkshire side of the border with Lincolnshire. The civil parish of Thorne includes the village of Moorends to the north.

Thorne Memorial Park is the location for the Thorne Memorial Park Miniature Railway and the annual Thorne Festival. During the summer months, free brass band concerts are held at the park's bandstand.

Thorne Community Wood is a community woodland created from agricultural land by Thorne-Moorends Town Council, and The Peatlands Way, a circuitous walk around the wildlife areas of Thorne and Hatfield Moors, passes to the north of the town.

Thorne's Farmers' Market is a monthly event. The area now has its own Community Radio station, TMCR 95.3.

For many decades in the twentieth century Thorne Colliery was a central focus of employment within the town, although its history was very troubled.

Notable buildings in the town include the parish church and Peel Hill Castle. The parish church consists of material from the 12th to 15th centuries with some later additions and repairs. It is a grade I listed structure, and is dedicated to St Nicholas. Peel Hill Castle is the earthwork remains of a Norman motte built by the de Warenne family. Although no structure remains, the foundations indicate that it had a circular keep. It might have been used as a hunting lodge, connected with Hatfield Chase, and prisoners were kept in its tower in the 16th century. It was demolished in the 17th century. The monument is in the care of Thorne-Moorends Town Council. There are Dutch-like bridges over local canals, such as the Wykewell bridge. There is one remaining water tower, located on South End. Another water tower used to stand on Field Road, but was demolished in 2013. The subsequent empty land was, in 2015, earmarked as the planned location for a new Lidl supermarket. Nearby are the extensive Thorne Moors.