The area of the current municipality (concelho) has been inhabited for millennia, with human occupation dating back to the Paleolithic period.

Attracted by the rich soil and abundance of resources, the Romans also left visible marks of their occupation in the area.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the King Manuel I of Portugal granted the charter, which provided the rent to be paid to the donee Reguengos of Maia, and regulated how to carry out punishments and courts.

Maia municipality was crossed in 1809 by the Napoleonic army of the Duke of Dalmatia, the Marshal Soult, which was going from Braga to Porto.

CEIIA - Centro para a Excelência e Inovação na Indústria Automóvel (auto industry innovation center), is located in TECMAIA (Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia da Maia complex), a science park situated in the Maia Industrial Zone.

[4] Prozis, a Portuguese multinational sports nutrition company, has a major research and development center in Maia.