In 1559 Nichelino was a fief of the Ussel (Occelli) family, becoming a county in 1564. In the late 17th century it has some 400 inhabitants, mostly working as peasants. In 1854, when it had some 1,700 inhabitants, the first train station was built in the town. The population remained nearly stable until the mid-20th century, when a huge immigration flow from southern Italy had it increase from the c. 15,000 of 1961 to the some 45,000 of 1971.