Kashipur is a city of Udham Singh Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and one of its seven subdivisions. Located in the western part of Udham Singh Nagar district, it is Kumaun’s third most populous city and the sixth most populous in Uttarakhand. According to the 2011 Census of India, the population is 121,623 for the city of Kashipur and 283,136 for Kashipur Tehsil. Kashipur also has IIM Kashipur, one of the thirteen Indian Institutes of Managements the government has set up during the Eleventh Five-year Plan.

Historically part of Kumaun, Kashipur is named after Kashinath Adhikari, the founder of the township and governor of the pargana, one of the officers of the Chand Kings of Kumaun in the 16th and 17th centuries. Kashipur remained under the rule of Chand Kings until the latter half of eighteenth century until Nand Ram, the then governor of Kashipur, became practically independent.

Kashipur was ceded to British in 1801, after which, it played a major role in the conquest of Kumaon during the Anglo-Gorkha war in 1815. After Kumaun was ceded to the British under the Treaty of Sugauli, Kashipur became the headquarters of Terai district in the Kumaon division. The Municipality of Kashipur was established in 1872, and was upgraded to a Municipal Corporation on 26 January 2013.

Agriculture is the main economic activity in the region. Fertile land, coupled with water availability, makes the region an intensively cropped area. Apart from Rice and Wheat, major produces are sugarcane, mango, guava, jamun, jack fruit and litchi. Large number of farmers in this region are actually settlers from outside, having land holdings in excess of five acres. government has allotted agricultural plots to refugees around Garhi Negi village and to the hill people at Maldhan village.

Historically, Industrial activities in the region were very small scale and agriculture based. Later, with administrative encouragement and support, rapid industrial development took place around Kashipur town. About 603 industrial units were functioning in the town, as reported by the Kashipur 2011 Master Plan. These included 163 Cottage industries, 415 small scale industries, and 25 medium (or large) Industries. Industrial development coupled with rich agricultural cash crops practices made this area more prosperous, relative to other parts of Kumaon region.

The region accounts for almost 50% of the medium and large scale industries in the district. Major Industrial units, mostly located on Kashipur-Thakurdwara road, include Surya Roshini Limited (Bulbs and Tubes), India Glycols limited, Kashi Vishwanath Steels limited, Jindal Solvents extraction limited, DSM Sugar mills limited, Naini Papers limited, SRF limited and Shriram extraction private limited etc. 

Large industrial houses such as Flexituff Ventures International Limited, IGL, HCL Technologies, Videocon, Pasupati Arcylon Limited etc. also have branch establishments in the city. Kashipur is becoming a thriving industrial center, as the city is suited for industrial park projects with cost of living compared to metros. Because of cheap and abundant raw materials available, several paper and sugar mills already have a presence in the city.