It is bordered on the west by Quezon City, to the south by Pasig and Cainta, to the north by San Mateo, and to the east by Antipolo, the capital of Rizal province.

Fray Pedro de Arce, apostolic ruler of the Archbishop of Manila at that time, approved transfer of ecclesiastical control and supervision to the Jesuits, and settled the place as a town.

[22] In 1939, the barrios of Balara, Barranca (Barangka), Jesus de la Peña, Krus na Ligas, Tañong, and the site of the new UP Campus were separated from Marikina to form part of the newly established Quezon City.

The town was liberated in 1945 by combined United States and Philippine Commonwealth ground troops, who attacked the Japanese Imperial Army by artillery from Quezon City.

[citation needed] In 1956, Marikina was given the title of "Shoe Capital of the Philippines", has re-emerged as a town of shoemakers after World War II.

Honed by years of shoe manufacturing experience, the natives had developed a work ethic that prepared them for the arrival of heavy industries.

[28][29] During his bid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of foreign debt-funded public works projects.

[42] In late October 1988, the municipality was among the hardest-hit[43] by Typhoon Ruby (Unsang);[44][45][46] heavy rains[46] caused the river rising to 19 meters,[42] and with high water level of Laguna Lake as well, these led to massive, then-record[46] flooding[45] that stranded several residents[43][44] and seriously damaged the Marikina Valley, among others, particularly in Provident Subdivision in Santo Niño[45] where water reportedly reached 2.4 meters (8 ft) high.

[47] The movie depicted three[47] of seven highly-publicized rape-murder cases occurred from 1993 until late January 1994; majority were claimed solved by the municipal police.

[49][50][51] Then district representative Romeo Candazo authored the cityhood filed in the Congress which, on November 6, 1996, was signed into law by President Fidel V. Ramos as Republic Act (RA) No.

Despite the turnout yet the majority ratified the cityhood, the following day, the COMELEC eventually declared the municipality as a highly urbanized city, citing that the unvalidated ballots does not affect those counted already.

[67] On November 12, 2020, the river water level rose to another record high at 22 meters during Typhoon Vamco (Ulysses),[62][a] which killed 25 people.

Loyola Grand Villas and Trevi Executive Village, located at the northwest portion of the city, are gated communities with upper-middle class and wealthy residents.

At present, it is 38% residential, 19% commercial and industrial, 17% Roads, 8% Mixed-use, 18% for parks and open spaces, development areas, institutional, cemeteries and others.

The southeast slices by Quiling Malaki Creek (where the Sapang Baho River originated) and occupies the north bank where the Barangay Conception Dos is located.

The east side of the campus covers the city, lies in Barangay Barangka, extending to the north and sliced by several roads of Loyola Grand Villas and Barangay Tumana, which covers the east part of the village until it reaches Marikina River and its tributary Nangka River in the northernmost point.

The river covers an area of around 220 hectares (540 acres) and measures about 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) in length and is the principal drainage system for Marikina.

Primarily, flooding within Marikina is caused by the increase of water level in major rivers and its tributaries from the Sierra Madre mountains, followed by overflowing from its riverbanks to low-lying areas throughout the city.

The Our Lady of the Abandoned Church, completed in 1572, is the seat of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados, the Patron Saint of Marikina.

Sumulong Highway is the center of business and local trade, and it has mixed establishments such as banking, boutiques, retail shops, electronics, appliances, and other consumer needs.

Some of Marikina's local products are handicrafts, sweet delicacies, leather, clothing, food processing, bags, accessories, and footwear.

The torch focuses on the lofty and noble ideals for human development and a better quality of life and is symbolic of its Hispanic culture and tradition.

The bamboo underscores a mixture of the people's natural humility and strength of character and also emphasizes the city's transition from an agricultural past to the urbanized, industrial present; the leaves and branches symbolize order and serenity.

It is an event that honors the large native clans of the city that have unique monikers; Marikina Christmas Festival/Shopalooza/ChristmaSaya, is a long holiday festival filled with stalls selling a wide variety of goods at affordable prices.

The area has been host to several sports competitions both regional, national, and international as well as entertainment such as grand concerts, finals night, live television shows, and other purposes.

FX taxis have begun to compete directly with jeepneys on major roads while UV Express transport services are also available in selected terminals.

The local government constructed a 66-kilometer network of bikeways to help reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, fuel consumption, and traffic congestion in the city.

[83] In January 2016, the city government of Marikina invented the "AMV" or "Adaptive Mobile Vehicle" for PWDs or Persons with Disabilities and Senior Citizens.

Once finished, this will be submitted to and await approval from the Investment Coordination Committee to confirm the viability of this project's public-private partnership (PPP) implementation.

The office also conducts seminars and training on first-aid among its staff to upgrade skills especially Marikina is vulnerable to calamities like floods, fire, and earthquakes.