In recent years, Census Town has become an important part of India's urbanization. This study aims to explore the role of urbanization in the growth of Census Towns in the state of Uttarakhand, which is one of the peripheral states benefiting from the economic growth of the Delhi metropolitan area. The state has basically experienced a slow level of urbanization, but this trend has progressed since the economic liberalization that was implemented in 1991. The rapid increase in urban population was mainly witnessed in three plain districts and the Nainital district, and the ratio of urban population was also higher compared to that of other districts. In contrast, although the urban population has been increasing, the ratio of urban population in the districts of mountainous regions remains low.
It was also found that the population of Census Towns increased with the progress of urbanization, and there were great variations among regions in the state of Uttarakhand. The population of Census Towns is increasing remarkably in the highly urbanized plain districts but remains scarce in the mountainous districts, except the Nainital district. The ratio of Census Town population to urban population is not necessarily high in the plain districts but has been increasing in recent years. On the one hand, mountainous regions do not have major cities, so the ratio of Census Town population to urban population is relatively high. Moreover, the increase of Census Towns in the state shows a decentralized location in the three plain districts and the Nainital district. Therefore, it became clear that access to local central cities and railway stations was a more important factor than the proximity to state capitals and first class cities with more than 100,000 people. On the other hand, the increase of Census Town population in mountainous regions suggests that the formation of small-scale centers in this area is also progressing.