East Garo Hills District was upgraded from a sub-division to a full fledged district in 1976, after the erstwhile Garo Hills District was reorganised with a view to bring the administration closer to the people. In 2012 East Garo Hills District was further reorganised to form a new district, the North Garo Hills District, out of the erstwhile Resubelpara Civil Sub-Division. The District is bounded by South Garo Hills on the south, West Garo Hills on the west, West Khasi Hills on the East and North Garo Hills on the north.
The new headquarter-complex is a neatly planned township. It has been christened as Williamnagar after Captain Williamson A. Sangma, the first Chief Minister of the State of Meghalaya. Williamnagar now has all the amenities of a modern town and is the largest growth centres in Garo Hills, next to Tura.