The city developed in 1893 when part of the ranches owned by William Voght, Jesus Garcia, and John Charters were surveyed for a town site.

[4] Once known as Forksdale, the community adopted its current name in 1906 in honour of mining engineer and railway promoter William Hamilton Merritt III.

Merritt is also home to a local radio station, a weekly newspaper and the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology campus.

In the 1880s three ranches located at the confluence of the Nicola and Coldwater Rivers, owned by William Voght, Jesus Garcia, and the John Charters Estate, became the focus of a farming community known as "The Forks".

With the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway through British Columbia in 1885, interest increased in the coal deposits south of The Forks.

Parts of the ranches owned by Voght, Garcia and Charters were surveyed in 1893 for the townsite of Forksdale, but the name did not catch on with locals.

Instead, the name was changed in 1906 to honour William Hamilton Merritt III, a mining engineer and railway promoter.

Other industries developed in the Valley, including ranching, copper, nickel, gold and silver mining, and forestry, and as a result, new business buildings were constructed.

Merritt and the Nicola Valley experienced prosperity until the passage of restrictive trade legislation in the United States in 1930.

Known as Indo-Canadians, they continue to play a crucial part in the economy—Aspen Planers Ltd., a major employer in the city, and many other businesses, restaurants and hotels in Merritt are owned by members of this group.

[6] In advance polls during the 2015 Canadian elections, an unexpectedly high turnout in Merritt resulted in there being an insufficient quantity of ballots.

[7] On November 15, 2021, the entire city was ordered to evacuate after heavy rainfall and flooding caused the municipality's wastewater treatment plant to fail.

The Bass Coast Festival held annually on the BC Day weekend and supports electronic music and creative arts draws attendees from all over North America.

The annual Labour Day Rodeo and Fall Fair are long standing traditions in this ranching valley, drawing participants from all over Canada and the US.

Scheduled to be released theatrically on June 11, 2021 Jurassic World Dominion began filming on February 25, 2020[12][13][14] in Merritt and concluded in early March 2020,[15] with the shoot including the city's downtown area.

[20] 2015 was the first year for the Rockin' River Music Fest, formerly held in Mission B.C.,[citation needed] taking place July 30 to August 2.

Merritt also hosts the Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo on the Saturday and Sunday of Labour Day weekend every year.

Monck Provincial Park is located on the western shore of Nicola Lake, 22 km (14 mi) north of Merritt.

The Merritt Panthers high school teams compete in boys and girls volleyball, basketball, and rugby.

There is also a local slo-pitch softball league and the Merritt Otters swim club, which makes its home at the Nicola Valley Aquatic Centre.