Rights to the territory of Nicolet were accorded in 1672 by Jean Talon, passing through several hands in the next thirty years.

Significant land development began at the opening of the 18th century, with the construction of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Jesuit mission in 1701, a chapel in 1710, a presbytery in 1722, and a second church being raised in 1740.

Development continued with the construction of a third church in 1784, the first elementary school in 1801, and establishment of the Collège de Nicolet in 1803.

An agricultural school was added to the Collège in 1938, and a test centre for the Canadian Armed Forces was established in 1952.

On March 21, 1955, a fire gutted the downtown area of Nicolet, destroying 35 commercial buildings and displacing 75 families.

Eight months later, on November 12, 1955, a Leda clay landslide carried 7 acres (28,000 m2) of earth and six buildings crashing down into the Nicolet river, killing three people, injuring six and causing $10 million in damages.

The riverfront road where the landslide occurred was named rue du 12 novembre ("12th of November Street") in commemoration.

Glacio-marine clays and silts are common in this area due to the prior existence of the Champlain Sea, which used to occupy the St. Lawrence and Ottawa valleys post-glaciation.

It lies at the eastern edge of Lac Saint-Pierre, a UNESCO biosphere reserve known as a stopping point for hundreds of thousands of migrating waterfowl and a nesting area for herons.

[5] Population trend:[6] (+) Amalgamation of the City of Nicolet, the Municipality of Nicolet-Sud and the Parish of Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Nicolet on December 27, 2000.