Nerostrasse, which was laid out in 1809, was an important step in the expansion of the town by breaking through the town wall at the civil hospital located directly by the Kochbrunnen fountain. After initially being called "Hospitalstrasse" or "Spitalstrasse", the name "Nerostrasse" became established in 1811 - in reference to the Neresbach (Nerobach) stream flowing past.

It was mainly low-income earners who built here, to whom the state government granted the necessary building plots free of charge. The initially unadorned single-storey houses were later given a second storey; larger and more attractive houses were built, in which many civil servants also lived. Despite the opening to Saalgasse, Nerostrasse was still considered to be outside the city for decades; after the opening of Taunusstrasse in 1818, it was referred to as "Hinterstadt". As late as 1848, Samuel Bär was permitted to set up a match factory in Nerostrasse. After the construction of Wilhelm Bogler 's monumental drinking hall complex at Kochbrunnen (1889/90), the residents complained that their "district" was being completely cut off from the city by the "Chinese wall" and the "ancient fortifications" of the new Kochbrunnen complex.

At the turn of the 20th century, the street presented a lively picture with the stores of numerous small craftsmen, butchers, a cigarette factory, wine and tobacco shops, restaurants and pubs. Since the demolition of the Kochbrunnen colonnade in the 1960s, there were no longer any obstacles to the connection to the city. Many Wiesbadeners were familiar with the Preußger pastry shop, which only recently closed down.

In the immediate post-war period, Georg Buch organized the reconstruction of the SPD from his private apartment at No. 26. The neighboring building, no. 24, housed the legendary Jazzhaus from 1962. Today, the "Gestüt Renz" discotheque is located here.

Nerostrasse, where Wiesbaden's first street festival was held in 1977, still has a charm all of its own with its small stores, junk stores and restaurants.