Hubli officially known as
Hubballi is the second largest city in Karnataka. It is one of the fastest growing agglomerating city in the state of
Karnataka,
India. The name Hubballi literally means "Flowering creeper" in
Kannada. The twin cities of Hubli and
Dharwad, collectively referred to as "Hubli-Dharwad", is the largest
city in Karnataka after
Bengaluru. While Dharwad is the administrative headquarters, the city of Hubli, situated about 20 km south-east of Dharwad, is the commercial center and business hub of
North Karnataka region. Crops including
cotton,
chilly and
peanuts are grown aplenty in the surrounding rural agricultural areas, and Hubli is a major trading center for these
commodities. It is also an important city for the
Indian Railways, as it is the headquarters for
South Western Railway Zone and the Hubli Railway Division. Hubli is a major railway junction in North Karnataka. It is also the headquarters of
North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation. Hubli also houses the largest number of government offices outside
Bangalore.