[17][18] The area of what is now Davao City was once a lush forest inhabited by Lumadic peoples such as the Bagobos[19] and Matigsalugs,[20] alongside other ethnic groups such as the Aeta, Maguindanaon and the Kagan.

[26] From being a fortification and base of operations from which Datu Bago could gather and rally his forces, the settlement of Pinagurasan eventually grew into a small city extending from present-day Generoso Bridge in Bangkerohan to Quezon Boulevard more than a kilometer down south,[24]: 172–176  as Maguindanaons and Bagobos alike among other nearby tribes in the area flocked into the settlement, eventually becoming the main trade entrepot in the Davao Gulf area.

[26] The Spanish, seeing Datu Bago as a mere pirate and brigand, didn't take the threat seriously for years despite his numerous victories against them until the burning of the Spanish trading vessel San Rufo, which carried a letter of friendship from Sultan Iskandar Qudaratullah Muhammad Zamal al-Azam of Maguindanao to Governor-General Claveria, and its massacre of all its crew by seaborne corsairs under orders from Datu Bago himself in 1846.

Cruz de Uyanguren had orders from the higher authorities in Manila to colonize the Davao Gulf region, which included the Bagobo settlement on the northern riverbank; in return, he asked for the position of the governor of the conquered area and the monopoly of its commerce for ten years.

Intent on taking the settlement for Spain, he and his men accordingly assaulted it, but the Bagobo natives fiercely resisted the attacks, which resulted in his Samal Mandaya allies to desert.

[24] After Cruz de Oyanguren defeated Bago and conquered Pinagurasan, he founded the town of Nueva Vergara, the future Davao, in the mangrove swamps of what is now Bolton Riverside on June 29, 1848,[30] in honor of his home in Spain and became its first governor.

Almost two years later on February 29, 1850, the province of Nueva Guipúzcoa was established via a royal decree, with the newly founded town as the capital,[31] once again to honor his homeland in Spain.

When he was the governor of the province, however, his plans of fostering a positive economic sway on the region backfired, which resulted in his eventual replacement under orders of the colonial government.

As the Philippine Revolution, having been fought for two years, neared its end in 1898, the expected departure of the Spanish authorities in Davao became apparent, although they took no part in the war at all, owing to the lack of revolutionary figures in the area save for a negligible pro-Filipino separatist rebel movement in the town of Santa Cruz in the south.

As the Americans began their administration of the town in 1900, economic opportunities quickly arose as huge swathes of its areas, mainly lush forests and fertile grasslands, were declared open for agricultural investment.

As a result, foreign businessmen, especially Japanese entrepreneurs, started settling the region, staking their claims on the vast lands of Davao and turning them into huge coconut and banana plantations.

Things began to take a turn for the worse late into Ferdinand Marcos' first presidential term, when news about the Jabidah massacre ignited a furor in the Moro community, and ethnic tensions encouraged with the formation of secessionist movements.

[51] With no way to express their grievances about government abuses after the declaration of Martial law in 1972, many of them joined the New People's Army (NPA), bringing the Communist rebellion in the Philippines to Davao and the rest of Mindanao for the first time.

[53] The 1983 Philippine economic nosedive and the Assassination of Ninoy Aquino a few months later saw the New People's Army grow to seven fronts (Battalion sized units),[54] which coincided with a decision to experiment with strategies like urban insurrectionism.

Early examples had included the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Davao Antonio L. Mabutas, who was among the first religious leaders to peacefully speak out against the Human rights abuses of the Marcos dictatorship.

[67] Ordinary citizens began to have more of a voice for change after the economic crisis of 1983, the assassination of Ninoy Aquino,[66] and the murder of prominent Davao City journalist Alex Orcullo at a checkpoint in Barangay Tigatto on October 19, 1984.

[47] These seminal events prompted prominent city figures like Soledad Duterte[68][69] to organize a protest group called the "Yellow Friday Movement",[70] which slowly gained support until 1986, when Marcos was finally ousted and forced into exile.

Davao City's land, totaling about 2,443.61 square kilometres (943.48 sq mi), is hilly in the west (the Marilog district) and slopes down to the southeastern shore.

The areological mechanism of the Intertropical Convergence Zone occurs more often than that of the trade winds and because it experiences rare cyclones the climate is not purely equatorial but subequatorial.

The city's population increase during the 20th century was due to massive immigration waves coming from other parts of the nation and the trend continues to this day.

DGT City Center[124] is a mall currently under construction inside the Davao Global Township, a central business district which is being developed by Cebu Landmasters, Inc. in partnership with the Villa Abrille clan.

In mountainous areas, the habal-habal passenger motorcycle is the main mode of transportation The city has the first taxis in the Philippines to accept payments from BancNet and MegaLink ATM and debit cards.

The city is accessible by bus from several points in Mindanao such as Cotabato, Kidapawan, General Santos, Digos, Koronadal, Isulan, Tagum, Tandag, Bislig, Malaybalay, Valencia, Mati, Monkayo, Malita, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Marawi, Butuan, and Surigao .

[137] A 28-kilometre (17 mi) monorail project, named the Davao People Mover, has been endorsed by the City Government to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Philippine National Railways (PNR).

[143] Formerly known as the High Priority Bus System (HPBS), it includes the development of improved public transport operations that will cover the full urban area of the city.

The project will introduce a city-wide bus-based public transport operating system, with improved and modern franchising mechanisms that ensure supply meets demand.

Their primary charitable mission is to heal disabled children with conditions such as clubfoot, bowed legs, other bone deformities, untreated burns and cleft lip.

[150] Ecoland Medical and Wellness Center (EcoMed), one of the first DOH-licensed private Primary Care Facilities in Mindanao, is located along Quimpo Boulevard in the southern part of the city.

EcoMed offers primary healthcare and diagnostic services (laboratory, radiology, and pharmacy), a 24-hour Outpatient Department (that includes a Birthing Facility and Minor Operating Room) that can handle and treat minor and primary health emergencies, and a range of outpatient healthcare services through its Renal Dialysis Unit, Doctor's Clinics (covering a range of specializations), and its Ambulatory Surgical Unit.

All businesses, especially bars and discos, are mandated by a city ordinance to stop selling alcoholic drinks at 1:00 am (final approval last July 24, 2013).