Mettupalayam | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
 Mettupalayam Town seen from Ooty hills | |
  Mettupalayam Location in Tamil Nadu, India | |
| Coordinates:11°18′20″N76°56′06″E / 11.30556°N 76.93500°E /11.30556; 76.93500 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Region | Mettupalayam |
| City | Coimbatore |
| Elevation | 325 m (1,066 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 66,595 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 641301 |
| Telephone code | 91-4254 |
| Vehicle registration | TN-40 |
Mettupalayam is a municipal town and headquarters ofMettupalayam Taluk in theCoimbatore District of theIndianstate ofTamil Nadu. It is the second largest town in the Coimbatore district afterPollachi. It is located to the north ofCoimbatore city on the way toOoty, in the foothills ofNilgiri hills. As of 2011, the town had a population of 69,213.Mettupalayam railway station is the starting point ofNilgiri Mountain Railway and it operates the onlyrack railway in India connectingOoty and Mettupalayam. It is a suburban area of Coimbatore City.[1]
Mettupalayam is located at11°18′20″N76°56′06″E / 11.3056°N 76.9350°E /11.3056; 76.9350.[2] It has an average elevation of 314 m (1,030 ft). Mettupalayam is situated on the bank ofBhavani River at the foot of theNilgiri mountains.
According to2011 census, Mettupalayam had a population of 69,213 with a sex-ratio of 1,022 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.[3] A total of 6,808 were under the age of six, constituting 3,543 males and 3,265 females.Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 14.76% and 0.08% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 77.11%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.[3] The town had a total of 18,423 households. There were a total of 26,595 workers, comprising 147 cultivators, 437 main agricultural labourers, 704 in house hold industries, 23,870 other workers, 1,437 marginal workers, 8 marginal cultivators, 60 marginal agricultural labourers, 92 marginal workers in household industries and 1,277 other marginal workers.[4]
As per the religious census of 2011, Mettupalayam had 69.24%Hindus, 25.65%Muslims, 4.84%Christians, 0.02%Sikhs, 0.15%Jains, 0.04% following other religions and 0.05% following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference.[5]
Mettupalayam (State Assembly Constituency) is part ofNilgiris.[6]
TheNilgiri Mountain Railway, which connectsMettupalayam railway station withUdagamandalam (Ooty), is aUNESCO World Heritage Site.[7]Nilgiri Express connects Mettupalayam to the State capital,Chennai, viaCoimbatore. Mettupalayam is situated at the base ofNilgiri Hills and hence is the starting point for theGhat Roads.MEMU express special trains are operated betweenCoimbatore Junction and Mettupalayam daily.Coimbatore is 35 km by road from Mettupalayam, and the nearest airport isCoimbatore International Airport. There is a proposal for a bypass road fromSulur (Kangayampalayam) viaNeelambur for Mettupalayam viaOdanthurai to Ooty.
National Highway 181 (India) connectingGundlupet inKarnataka state toNagapattinam passes through Mettupalyam. State highway SH15 fromErode to Ooty passes throughChithode,Gobichettipalayam,Sathyamangalam,Sirumugai, Mettupalayam andKotagiri. State highway SH80 connects Mettupalayam toAvinashi viaAnnur.
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