The twin township of Haldwani – Kathgodam in the Nanital district has a total population of 1,56,000 and ranks 120th in terms of Hindi speakers. Highest employment in this district is in tourism, government sector and agriculture. Nainital district has 52% workers in tourism, government jobs and other miscellaneous sectors, 46% agriculture workers and 2% household workers. The region came under the dominion of Kumaun, when King Gyan Chand of the Chand Dynasty visited the Delhi Sultanate kings in the 14th century. Later, the Mughals tried to take over the hills, but their attempts received a setback due to the difficult terrain. In the early 1600s, the Haldwani region was sparsely populated and was inhabited by people of a Native tribe known as the Buksa. The Terai area southward consisted of thick forests, and was used as hunting grounds by the Mughals. The name "Haldwani" is an anglicized version of the Kumaoni word "Halduvani", meaning "forest of Haldu". The "Haldu" (Kadamb) tree is known to botanists as Haldina cordifolia. The Haldu trees were found in abundance prior to deforestation for agriculture and settlement. The place was known as Halduvani until George William Trail took over as the Commissioner of Kumaon and renamed it Haldwani in 1834. Kathgodam also literally translates to “Timber Depot”. These twin cities became important with the extension of the railway line till here in 1884. The towns serve as a gateway to the hill stations of Kumaon.
