Nainital was founded on November 18, 1841. Peter Barron, a wealthy sugar and wine merchant from Shahjahanpur, ‘discovered’ Nynee-thal. Under the pen name ‘Pilgrim’, he wrote about his discovery in ‘Notes of Wanderings in the Himalaya’ in the Agra Gazetteer. “It is, by far, the best site I have witnessed in the course of a 1,500 miles (2,400 km) trek in the Himalayas.” Barron constructed Pilgrim Lodge, the first European house, and before long, the township became a health resort for British soldiers, officials, and their families.

The Kumaon Hills came under British rule after the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16).Nainital was the summer capital of the United Provinces (was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1947)

Churches were built, a hill station began to flourish, and Nainital became the summer residence of the governor and the summer capital of the United Provinces.

The church, St. John (1846) in the Wilderness, was one of the earliest buildings in Nainital, followed by Belvedere, Alma lodge, Ashdale Cottage(1860).   On the quieter western slopes of the lake is situated the Gurney House, the last dwelling of  Tiger conservationist and author Jim Corbett in India before returning to England. Clifton, another home built by Corbett’s family was later acquired as the summer residence of Sahanpur riyasat, is now a heritage homestay.

A number of European schools were founded In the latter half of the 19th century. During the Victorian and Edwardian eras, students in these schools consisted largely of children of British colonial officials or soldiers. In 1906, for example, there were over half a dozen such schools, including the Diocesan Boys’ School (later renamed Sherwood College), Philander Smith’s college (later renamed Halett War School, currently Birla Vidya Mandir), a  famous school formed by the Irish brothers in 1888 was the St. Joseph’s College also known as SEM and Another important school for girls, St. Mary’s Convent High School, Nainital (popularly known as Ramnee).

Currently Nainital is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the High Court of the state being located there. It also houses the Governor of Uttarakhand, who resides in the Raj Bhavan.

Nainital is full of picturesque landscapes, pristine lakes and cool weather that attracts both international and Indian tourists alike.

The very popular Mall Road Connects Tallital, the foot of the lake, to its head, Mallital, the older colonial part of town.  a 1.5-kmstretch is lined with restaurants, hotels and souvenir shops. At the edge of the lake in Mallital is the Nainital Boat House Club on a large plain called The Flats, which resulted from a devastating landslide in 1880.  A small yachting festival “Sailing Regatta” is organised here in the month of June, which coincides with the yachting festival held in England. It has an old world charm and can be placed under the category of ancient heritage.