Ulhasnagar is a municipal town and the headquarters of the Tahsil bearing the same name. It is a railway station on the Bombay-Pune route of the Central Railway. Ulhasnagar, a colony of migrants in the aftermath of Partition, is 43 years old. Situated 58 Kms from Mumbai, the once-barren land has developed into a rich town of Thane district. Originally, known as Kalyan Military transit camp, Ulhasnagar was set up especially to accommodate 6,000 soldiers and 30,000 others during World War II. There were 2,126 barracks and about 1,173 housed personals. The majority of barracks had large central halls with rooms attached to either end. The camp had a deserted look at the end of the war and served as a ready and ideal ground for Partition victims. Sindhis, in particular, began life anew in the new land. On August 8, 1949 the first and last Governor-General of India, C. Rajagopalachari, laid the foundation stone.

The population of the town which was 80,861 as per the Census of 1961 and more than doubled to 1,68,462 as per the Census of 1971. Right now it is 4,72,943 as per Census of 2001. Included in the functional category of industry, the town covers an area of 13 square kilometers and is divided into 285 blocks. It is a centre for the production of rayon silk, dyes, ready-made garments, electrical / electronic appliances & confectionaries.

The total length of existing Roads & Streets in the town measures 352 kilometers. The town is served by underground & open-surface drainage, night soil being disposed of by septic tank latrines. The town gets a protected water supply through MIDC. Sanctioned Water Quota at various tapping points is 112 MLD. Fire-fighting service is also available in the town.

60 private hospitals with a total bed-strength of 840 beds & 3 Government hospitals with total bed-strength of 356 beds, 255 dispensaries / clinics, 100 RMP and a family planning centre cater to the curative and preventive health needs of the town population. Educational facilities are provided by 129 primary schools, 56 Secondary Schools, 9 Higher Secondary schools, 3 colleges and 2 Technical Colleges. Entertainment facilities are provided by one stadium and nine cinema theatres besides five auditorium-cum-drama halls. Nine Pubic Libraries are located in the town.