Roorkee town is of considerable size , with broad metalled roads meeting at right angles and Civil Lines with shops. In the centre is an open chowk or market place surrounded with good masonry houses. The outer portion are generally occupied by mud dwellings, the poorest part being to the north . where the site extends to the low valley of Solani.

The streets are lined with open saucer drains leading down to the low canal and these are regularly flushed with water pumped up from the canal.

The health of the place is remarkably good,. After seasons of abnormally heavy rain, fever is always prevelant in September and October , but epidemics of Cholera and other diseases are practically unknown.

The water suppy is derived wholly from well, save in the case of THOMASON College, where it is served by recently constructed water works on the bank of canal.

The Civil Lines contain in the north, the Canal Foundry and Workshops with there dependent bulidings while between the canal and provisional road there are numereous bunglaows , the club and other institutions.

In the Civil Lines are the locally headquarters of the Society of the Gospel , which supports an orphanage while other mission work has been undertaken by the American Episcopal methodist Church. There is in Roorkee an anglo vernacular school under private management , named after Majot Orman , a former cantontment magistrate.

A branch lower primary school is maintained in the town by the municipality , while there are at present five indigenous schools and an aided school for girls supported by Arya Samaj.

As described in Gazetteer of Saharanpur District 1921