Haldwani – (Gateway of Kumaon) is the third most populous city and largest commercial market in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is also the largest city in the Kumaon region. Haldwani is said to be the financial capital of Uttarakhand, having the most commercial, economic, and industrial activities of the state. Haldwani is located in the Nainital District and is one of its eight Subdivisions. The Haldwani Urban agglomeration has 232,060 people as of 2011, and is the fourth most populous UA in Uttarakhand, after Dehradun, Haridwar, and Roorkee. Being situated in the immediate foothills of Kumaon Himalayas, the Kathgodam neighborhood of Haldwani is known as the “Gateway of Kumaon”.

Located in the Bhabhar region in the Himalayan foothills on the banks of the Gaula River, the town of Haldwani was established in 1834, as a mart for hill people who visited Bhabar during the cold season. The establishment of the Bareilly–Nainital provincial road in 1882 and the Bhojeepura–Kathgodam railway line by Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway in 1884 helped develop the town into a major trading post and then a hub between the hilly regions of Kumaon and the Indo-Gangetic Plains.