[8] NIT Calicut, NIEIT and IIM Kozhikode are institutions of national importance located in the district.

Kozhikode is the largest city in the erstwhile Malabar District and acted as its headquarters during British Raj.

[9] The port at Kozhikode acted as the gateway to medieval South Indian coast for the Chinese, the Arabs, the Portuguese, the Dutch and finally the British.

By the 2011 census there are 12 block panchayats: Balusseri, Chelannur, Koduvally, Kozhikode, Kunnamangalam, Kunnummal, Melady, Panthalayani, Perambra, Thodannur, Thuneri and Vatakara.

[18] The word calico, a fine variety of hand-woven cotton cloth that was exported from the port of Kozhikode, is thought to have been derived from Calicut.

[25]) According to the 2018 Statistics Report, Kozhikode district has a population of 3,249,761,[3] roughly equal to the nation of Mongolia[26] or the US state of Iowa.

[28] The Kozhikode metropolitan area has a population of more than 2 million, making it the second-largest in Kerala and the 19th largest in India.

Religions in Kozhikode district (2011)[30] According to the 2011 census, Hindus constitute the majority of the population, followed by Muslims and Christians.

The best weather is found in towards the end of the year, in December and January – the skies are clear, and the air is crisp.

During the 17th century, His Highness Sri Samoothiri Manavedan Maharaja authored the famous Krishnattam, a Manipravalam text describing the childhood of Lord Krishna in eight volumes.

An intellectual debate for Vedic scholars, where winners receive the title of Pattathanam, takes place at Thali temple during the month of Thulam.

S. K. Pottekkatt was perhaps the most celebrated writer from Kozhikode whose award-winning work Oru Theruvinte Katha is set in S. M. Street.

Several leading Malayalam publishing houses are based in the city, including Poorna, Mathrubhumi, Mulberry, Lipi and Olive.

The late film director and play back singer M. S. Baburaj, from Kozhikode was influenced by Ghazal and Hindustani.

The culinary culture of the city has been moulded by Portuguese, Dutch, French, British, Arab and other Indian influence.

The new generation is more inclined to Chinese,Arab and American food culture and a new trend of vegetarianism is getting popular because of health concerns.

Kozhikode produced such notable actors as K. P. Ummer, Mammukoya, Balan K. Nair, Santha Devi and Kuthiravattam Pappu.

The evergreen musician Baburaj, lyricist Gireesh Puthenchery, filmmakers Ranjith, V. M. Vinu, A. Vincent, Shajoon Kariyal and Anjali Menon, and cinematographer P. S. Nivas also hail from Kozhikode.

Some of the other cine actors like Nellikode Bhaskaran, Augustine, Madhupal, Anoop Menon, Neeraj Madhav and Vijayan Malaparamba are from Kozhikode.

Jaseel P. Ismail, V. Diju, Aparna Balan & Arun Vishnu are international badminton players from the city.

Started in 2004 and based in Kozhikode, the trust has set up 52 centres called "football nurseries" spread across thirteen districts in Kerala.

[51] Since 2010, Calicut Mini Marathon runs have been organised by IIM Kozhikode and witness participation of around 7000 people every year.

Keralam, Kerala Sanchari and Bharath Vilasam are among the other newspapers that were published from Kozhikode in the nineteenth century.

Along with those papers, noted dailies like Malayala Manorama, Kerala Kaumudi, Mangalam, Deepika, The Times of India, New Indian Express, The Hindu, Deccan chronicle, Janmabhumi, Veekshanam and evening dailies like Pradeepam, Rashtra deepika, News Kerala and Flash are published from Kozhikode.

The Times of India, the largest-circulating English broadsheet newspaper in the world, started circulation in Kozhikode on 1 February 2012.

A large number of weeklies, fortnightlies and monthlies are also published there (such as Information Technology Lokam, a computer magazine in Malayalam).

A television transmitter has been functioning in Kozhikode since 3 July 1984, relaying programmes from Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram Doordarshan.

Satellite television services are available through DD Direct+, Dish TV, Sun Direct DTH and Tata Sky.

Began with around 70 members in the roll, this Press Club, over the years, became a prestigious and alert media centre in the state with a present membership of over 280.

[54][55] It has bus services to all parts of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and to important cities like Hyderabad and Mumbai.