According to one legend, the long and narrow delta extended unbroken from north to south along the seashore.

The strip of land between the former district of Tondo, Manila and this town was eaten away by the sea until an opening was made.

It was once owned by the Dominican friars until it was sold to the Pascual family during the early days of the American regime and developed into a residential estate.

On June 11, 1859, a "Superior Decreto" established a new parish and municipality under the supervision of Friar Matias Navoa.

Among those who would not come was a village called Butas, situated on an inlet on the other side of the river flowing past Manilla, and about a league and a half away.

The movement for the separation of barrios San Jose de Navotas and Bangkulasi from Tambobong (now Malabon), then a town in the province of Tondo (later Manila), began on December 20, 1827.

Led by the principales of such barrios, such separation was petitioned before the Spanish colonial government when the locals experienced difficulties in doing business transactions and accessing Tambobong's poblacion across what is now the Navotas River for religious events.

On February 16, 1859, the petition was finally granted, separating both barrios from Tambobong to form a new distinct town.

Later on June 11, the Real Audiencia enacted a Superior Decreto, which established the San Jose de Navotas Parish with a church and parochial school.

[7] On June 11, 1901, Navotas was eventually incorporated into the newly created province of Rizal with the enactment of Act No.

[11] On November 7, 1975, Navotas was transferred from the province of Rizal to the newly formed National Capital Region or Metro Manila, by virtue of Presidential Decree No.

This is because of an ongoing effort by the government to relocate informal settlers from hazard-prone areas to socialized housing built in Barangay Tanza 2.

[40]With regards to the separation of Navotas from Malabon in 1859 and the organization thereof as a distinct municipality or "pueblo" with its own government and church, this town was headed by the gobernadorcillos who exercised executive and judicial functions.

This political system was somehow revoked at the end of the Spanish Regime through the Maura Law of 1883, which guided some of the selected officials to the supervision of an insular authority.

During the revolutionary period (from 1898 to 1902), as the democratic system of local governance was being established via the First Philippines Republic and Malolos Constitution, people of Navotas with high character, social position and honorable conduct gathered in a meeting and elected the chief of the town, the headman of the barrio (barangay) and three officials viz., for police and internal order, justice and civil registry, and taxes and property.

In this situation, these elected officials constitute an assembly wherein the chief of the town was the president, the headman, the vice-president, and the justice officer the secretary.

Congress passed laws giving more autonomy to Local Government Units through the grant of additional powers and lessening of national control affairs.

During the Martial Law Period, President Marcos had changed the structure and functions of LGU's, thus decentralization suffered the set back with the concentration of power on his hands.

[42] The Navotas Polytechnic College located at the North Bay Boulevard South in Kaunlaran Village is owned and operated by the city.

Transportation in Navotas is provided by cars, bicycle pedicab, tricycles, boats, bus, jeepney and taxi.