In the GDR era, Pankow was popular with intellectuals and celebrities - and it still is today. Stylish houses and lots of greenery make the district attractive for residents.

During socialist times, the political and artistic elite of the GDR used to live in Pankow. People such as Erich Honecker, Wilhelm Pieck, Christa Wolf, Heiner Müller, and Manfred Krug were residents of the area around Mayakovskiring, which was inaccessible to ordinary folk. Some embassies also settled here. Today, well-known German politicians and actors such as Jasmin Tabatabai, Henry Hübchen, and Jürgen Trittin live in Pankow, some of them in the former domiciles of the socialist leaders.

During the 19th century, Pankow became a popular destination fro day trips as well as a preferred spot for the summer residences of the upper middle class. The Royal House of Hohenzollern built Schönhausen Palace, Pankow's most important sight, as a summer residence. Thus, Pankow developed into a suburb of villas emblematic of the economic upswing of the Wilhelminian era.

The larger district of Pankow is divided into the districts of Pankow, Niederschönhausen, Französisch Buchholz, Buch, Rosenthal, Blankenfelde and Wilhelmsruh.