Earliest recorded political history of Dipolog started in 1834 with the re-organization of Spanish Provincial Government of Misamis.

At that time, Tulwanan's political territory was still part of the Municipality of Dapitan with Don Domingo Ruiz, a native, as its capitán or town executive.

When the friar returned to Dapitan, he identified the location of the larger Boholano settlement as Dipag but was not officially written.

It was customary for tribes to establish their settlements at the mouth of large river systems due to the abundant food supply.

In the 14th century, Tulwanan was established 6 kilometers inland, adjoining the river near the present day barangay center of Lugdungan.

Peter Kaerius (Pieter van den Keere) identified the location as Dapito in his cartographic map of 1598.

By the 18th century, with the Spanish Naval Fleet anchored at Dapitan Bay, much of the piracy—now conducted mainly by moro bandits—was under control within the Sulu Sea.

Settlement in coastal areas resumed with new settlers from Negros and Bohol eventually settling in Isab, and Nipaan.

From Ruiz, civil administration changed hands in stable succession, with Martino Belarmino, who was popular by the name Maglinte.

By 1889, administrative designations reverted to Capitanes, and those appointed were Martin Fernandez, Tomas Narvacan, Eustaquio Cajocon, Simplicio Lacaya, Basilio Tabiliran, Maximiano Ruiz and Bruno Ordinaria in 1898.

By February 1894, the Catholic Chapel constructed by the Jesuits was renovated for the first time, on an altar designed by Dr. José Rizal to which now stands the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral.

By 1900, Dipolog was a thriving commercial community with new settlers arriving from the island of Cebu, outgrowing its principal town of Dapitan which exclusively remained part of Pagbuaya's clan.

John J. Pershing of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu decreed the separation of Dipolog from Dapitan and reorganize as a municipality again.

Governor Matias Castillon Ranillo Sr. noticed that the waters at Punta Coro wharf were choppy for ships to anchor.

He was elected Governor in 1937 and re-elected in 1940 but his term was cut short when Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon urged him to run as the lone Assemblyman of Zamboanga peninsula.

In November 1941, he was elected as Assemblyman but one week before his scheduled departure for Manila, World War II broke out.

On October 30, 1944, upon the request of the guerrillas, he mobilized the able-bodied men of Dipolog and Home guards who cheerfully volunteered to clear the airfield of grass and shrubs.

This designation lasted until June 16, 1948, when the capital was transferred from Dipolog to Molave, Zamboanga del Sur through Republic Act No.

[15] On June 21, 1969, through the effort of former congressman Alberto Q. Ubay, President Ferdinand Marcos signed into law RA No.

[16] Dipolog is known to be as the "Gateway to Western Mindanao" it is situated in the Northwestern part of the Province of Zamboanga del Norte.

It was substantially reduced in 1951 to the current 13,628 hectares, after two barrios of Dipolog were converted into Municipalities of Polanco, and Piñan under Executive Order of the President No.

Poverty Incidence of Dipolog Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] The city is now one of the major options for local investors from Cebu, Dumaguete, Cagayan de Oro and Davao and for foreign nationalities from India and China investing in retail, tourism, services, manufacturing, trade, and wholesale.

In 2006, a study by the National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) found Dipolog to be the wealthiest city per capita in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

In startling contrast, the poverty rate for the entire province of Zamboanga del Norte (with individuals in both rural and urban settings) was estimated to be 40.36%.

Zamboanga del Norte is one of the Philippines's poorest provinces with a poverty incidence rate of 64.6% in 2003, an increase from 47% in the 2000 statistical figures.

The city's emblem stands for the following physical attributes and character:[37] Dipolog shared much of its cultural history with the ancient town of Dapitan to which it once belonged.

Its earliest settlers all belonged to the Subanen Tribe called Subanon or river people with established religion founded in animism.

Dipolog relies on the nearby Port of Pulauan in Dapitan, especially for trips bound to Dumaguete, Cebu City, and Manila.

[49] The City of Dipolog has one state university and three private colleges specialized in Engineering and Information Technology, Health Services, Business and Administration, Primary and Secondary Education, and Arts and Social Sciences.

The Jose Rizal Memorial State University - Dipolog (JRMSU Dipolog), originally formed as the Zamboanga del Norte School of Arts and Trade (ZNSAT) in 1961, is one of the five campuses under the Jose Rizal Memorial State University System in Zamboanga del Norte.