In 2017, Karlo Antonio Galay David gathered all written and oral explanations from archival sources and tribal key informants.

[7] - Gabriela Eleosida's 1961 Master's thesis (University of Manila) Kidapawan has roots in the municipal district with the same name which was created in 1914 by the Americans, and consisted the territory of the Monuvu.

The municipal council petitioned to change the border of Makilala, and even urged President Diosdado Macapagal to cancel the establishment of Matalam; but both were unsuccessful.

[8] Kidapawan has its roots in pre-colonial settlements of the Obo Monuvu, the indigenous peoples that have lived at the foot of Mount Apo on both the Cotabato and Davao sides for generations.

The Monuvu settlements, the precursors of many of Kidapawan's modern day Baranggays, existed autonomously with one another but were ruled by chieftains often related by centuries of intermarriage.

[12][13] Datu Ingkal's territory, Kidapawan, would be formed into a Municipal District on July 23, 1914, one of twenty seven under the newly created Cotabato Province of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu as mandated under Article 19 of Act No.

Kidapawan's establishment as a Municipal District paved the way for settlers from Luzon and Visayas to come over the succeeding decades up until the 1960s.

Tribal and settler sources name either Manongol (for a time called ‘Old Kidapawan’) or Lanao as centers, with some sources identifying Lanao as the commercial center of the town where the settlers concentrated, with Manongol the seat of Siawan Ingkal's chieftaincy.

There are even less details on the arrangements of the resistance government, but Kidapawan fell under the command of Datu Udtog Matalam, who with his Bolo Battalion led the Cotabato region's guerrilla movement.

Records indicate that in 1942 Alfonso O. Angeles Sr. had been appointed ‘Mayor of the Upper Cotabato Sector,’ to which Kidapawan presumably belonged, while the Paclibar family describes a ‘Civil Emergency Administration’ in M’lang under the 118th Infantry Regiment of the 106th Division of Wendell Fertig's 10th Military District (the resistance detachment in Mindanao during the War), headed by Jacinto Paclibar.

[10] When the War ended, Kidapawan's administrative status was in limbo, but in all likelihood it was reverted to Municipal District.

It shares its borders with the Cotabato towns of Magpet and President Roxas to the north, Matalam to the west, M’lang to the south and Makilala to the east.

Its land area is mostly flat, except for the increasingly hilly and mountainous regions to the northeast near Mount Apo, the highest point in the Philippines.

The Kabacan River has its source in the northeastern part of the city and flows through its northern border with Magpet town.

Kidapawan lies outside the typhoon belt and has a mild climate characterized by wet and dry seasons.

English is used as the medium of instruction in schools and other learning institutions; it is also predominantly used in major government agencies in their transactions and reports.

[35] In addition to ornamental and forest tree seedlings, flowers such as roses, anthuriums and orchids are abundantly grown and cultivated locally, providing a promising and profitable source of livelihood and business in the area.

Crops abundantly grown in the city include abaca, rubber, maize, rice, coconut, and vegetables.

The Cotabato City-Kidapawan City (CK) Agri-industrial and Eco Tourism Corridor is projected by the NEDA Region 12.

Cotabato Province ranks first in the region in rice and rubber production, second in corn and produces organic coco sugar and delicious tropical fruits.

Kidapawan is also one of the well-known starting points for trekking on the Mount Apo, via the city's Lake Agco in Barangay Ilomavis,[36] and the Kidapawan-Santa Cruz,[37] and Kidapawan-Magpet trails,[38] towering at 10,311 feet (3,143 m) above sea level with a total area of 14.6 square metres (157 sq ft).

Lake Venado, hidden among the mountain ranges, stands at an elevation of 7,200 feet (2,200 m) above sea level.

Another tourist destination is Kansal Falls at Sitio Lapaan in Barangay Perez, in the eastern part of the city.

The city government often purchases large quantities of local fruit, which are laid out on tables along the streets for visitors and residents to enjoy.

During the latter half of the 20th century, Kidapawan fell victim to massacres orchestrated by both pro-government and anti-government forces.

[55] The city is identified by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command as a conflict-affected area with the presence of CPP-NPA and BIFF.