The town covers an area of 896 ha. Its administrative boundaries are in the process of being defined. The Vilnius-Daugavpils railway runs alongside the town, providing convenient communication with Vilnius and Daugavpils. Motorways connect the town with all other cities in the Republic. The town grew up in a pine forest by Lake Visaginas.
Tourism is currently an area of great potential.
In the distant past, the surroundings of Visaginas were once inhabited by the Seliai tribe. In the 14th-19th centuries the region was invaded by Crusaders and Swedish, Russian and French troops. The settlement was founded in 1975. In 1977 it was granted the status of a town, and received city rights in 1994. It is governed by a town council, which elects the mayor.