Gobichettipalayam is the Selection grade municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Gobichettipalayam taluk. It is situated at the center of the South Indian Peninsula, 37 kilometres (23 mi) from the district headquarters Erode (Demanding Gobichettipalayam District),44 kilometres (27 mi) north of Tiruppur and 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Coimbatore. Agriculture and textile industries contribute majorly to the economy of the town and is popularly known as the rice bowl of western Tamil Nadu. The town is situated at 213 metres (699 ft) above sea level, surrounded by Western Ghats.

The town is a part of Gobichettipalayam constituency and elects its member of legislative assembly every five years, and a part of the Tirupur constituency that elects its member of parliament. The town is administered by a municipality established in 1949 and has a population of 65,238 as of 2011. It is known as " Mini Kollywood" because of the film shooting that takes place here and many films in Tamil and other languages have been shot.

A major part of present Gobichettipalayam was previously known as "Veerapandi Gramam", and documents and records still use that name.The town was part of the country ruled by king Vēl Pāri, who is regarded as one of the Kadai ēzhu vallal (the last seven great patrons). Pariyur, a temple town near Gobichettipalayam was named after him. The land was later ruled by the Cheras and Vijayanagara empire with the town deriving its name after Gobi Chetti, a Vijayanagara Polygar.It was captured by Tipu Sultan and after Tipu's defeat, British annexed it to their territory.

Kongu Tamil, a dialect of Tamil is the language spoken by majority of the people. English is used as an official language along with Tamil. Other languages spoken include Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. Gobichettipalayam cuisine is predominantly south Indian with rice as its base. Most locals still retain their rural tradition, with many restaurants still serving food on a banana leaf. North Indian, Chinese and continental cuisines are also available. mysorepa (a sweet made from lentil flour) and halwa (a sweet made of different ingredients such as milk, wheat or rice) are famous. Idly, dosa, vada-sambar and biryani are popular among the locals. Coffee shops and chat centers cater to young people. Karupatti, coconut milk are famous.