The cities of Maharashtra are best known for their all encompassing development and prosperity. Maharashtra is India`s third largest state in area and second largest in population after Uttar Pradesh. The cities of Maharashtra play significant roles in Indian history as they were important centers of the Maratha Empire. However post Anglo-Maratha wars, between 1777 and 1818 AD, the British established themselves in these cities. Many rivers like the Godavari and the Krishna wash the cities. The Western Ghats, which embraces a large number of cities, forms one of the three watersheds of India. The main inhabitants of the cities of Maharashtra are the Marathi.

The main cities of Maharashtra are Mumbai (the capital city and home to Bollywood), Pune, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and Amravati, Ulhasnagar, Virar, Bhiwandi, Dombivili. Lately, many more cities of Maharashtra have created a niche for themselves, namely Brahmapuri, Budhgaon, Borivali, Ambejogai, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Ambarnath, Akola, Bhandara and Paithan. The cosmopolitan state, Maharashtra, which features a highly urban set up has only one metropolitan city Mumbai, the capital.

Mumbai is located at the west coast of India, is world`s 5th most populated metropolitan city holding about 19 million people approximately the city has a deep natural harbor and handles most of India`s passenger traffic and cargo. The financial and commercial hub of India, Mumbai, holds the largest amount of taxpayers and about 70 % country`s share transaction takes place in the city stock exchange. The affluent lifestyle and entertainments, which the city offers, is akin to that of the international capitals.

The state`s cultural capital, Pune, was the citadel of the Maratha Empire. It is the major industrial harbor, undergoing rapid developments. It is the core of the world`s largest two wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto. The other leading companies are Tata Motors, DaimlerChrysler. Recently Pune has been emerging as a software hub. IT parks like Rajiv Gandhi national Park at Hinjewadi, Magarpatta Cybercity, MIDC Software Technology Park at Talawad etc contribute to the country`s upliftment. Software firms like Infosys, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Wipro, Cognizant, Tata Elexi, Satyam etc have their center in the city. The BPO industry is also emerging as one of the principal backbone of Pune, due to the supply of skilled English speaking youth in abundance. Convergys, Wipro BPO, Infosys BPO, EXL, vCustomer, Mphasis have their operations mainly based in the city. Several Power plants have been constructed in Pune to meet the explosive demands of electricity all over the country.

Nagpur, the "Orange city," is currently emerging as the largest trading center of certain goods & services. The city however suffers an economic set back when merged with Vidarbha, due to some political sentiment. In the recent period, state and central government offices are the principal sources of employment. But attracting an investment of 5000 crore the city has managed to come out of its losses. A project named Multimodal International Hub Airport (MIHAN) at Nagpur now houses the heavy cargo ships from South-east & Middle-East Asia. Nagpur is a renowned educational center in Central India. Nagpur University, founded in 1923, is the oldest University having its affiliation over hundreds of colleges. The city is the abode of three principal medical colleges- the Government Medical college, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College & privately run NKP Salve Institution of Medical college. The famous Animal Sciences Research University has been established there, named as Maharashtra Animal and Sciences University. The city is well- known for its engineering colleges as well.

Ahmednagar is a city of Ahmednagar District in the state of Maharashtra, on the west bank of the Sina River, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 120 km from Aurangabad. Sugar, milk and bank co-operatives thrive here. Ahmednagar is home to 19 sugar factories and is also the birthplace of the cooperative movement. Due to scarce rainfall, Ahmednagar often suffers from drought. Ahmednagar has recently published a plan of developing the city by year 2031. Ulhasnagar is a city located on coast of the West India, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of the city of Mumbai, in the Thane district in the state of Maharashtra. Ulhasnagar, also referred to as Sindhunagar and has an estimated population of 472,943 people (2001). The name derives from the Ulhas River, which flows through it. Kalyan is situated near Ulhasnagar. Over the years, the city has grown a reputation for all types of business.

The cities of Maharashtra are well connected by railways and airways. The food of these cities can be termed as authentic Marathi cuisine, comprising of Pooran Poli, Kothambir Vade, Thalipith, Bharleli Vaangi, Kolhapuri Fish, Vaangi Batata Masala and so on. Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi are the two most popular festivals celebrated in the cities of Maharashtra. Major Marathi newspapers that are circulated in these cities are Daily Aikya, Daily Kesari, Deshonnati, Lokmat, Loksatta, Maharashtra Times, Pudhari, Saamna, Sakal, Sandhyanand, Tarun, Bharat and many more.