Except for its sheltered bay and good fishing grounds, it was not a promising site because it is situated on steeply rolling terrain.

The iconic symbol of Pagadian is its uniquely designed tricycle built to adopt to the city's hilly terrain.

The city proper and surrounding areas of today's barangays of Muricay, Tawagan Sur and White Beach was originally named Talapukan, an indigenous word that means "a place of numerous springs.

"[10] The officially accepted origin of its name are words taken from Iranun, pagad ("to wait") and padian ("market")[10] which shows that Pagadian had been a trading area in the past.

At one time, Datu Macaumbang requested the assistance of the Philippine constabulary due to the rampant banditry and piracy in the area.

[12] Christian settlers started arriving in the early part of the 20th century, most of which came from Cebu as evident on the veneration of the Santo Niño de Cebú.

The increasing Christian population prompted the creation of the Parish of Pagadian in 1938 and was administered by the Jesuits, Columban and Filipino priests.

In July 1927, it became a barrio under the Municipal District of Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur upon the implementation of Executive Order no.70.

[16] On March 23, 1937, Pagadian became a municipality through Executive Order 77 due to the eager initiative of then Assemblyman Juan S. Alano, with the Jose Sanson appointed as acting mayor.

[21] The establishment of the general headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the Philippine Constabulary were stationed in Pagadian and active from November 21, 1944, to June 30, 1946, during and in the aftermath of World War II, including the military operations and engagements against the Japanese and liberated areas in Mindanao from November 21, 1944, to August 15, 1945.

[22][23] The 1970s brought a period of numerous concurrent conflicts on the island of Mindanao, including Pagadian and Zamboanga del Sur.

[24][25][26][27] This included land dispute conflicts arising from the influx of settlers from Luzon and the Visayas,[28][29] and from the Marcos administration’s encouragement of militia groups such as the Ilaga.

[25][26] News of the 1968 Jabidah massacre ignited a furor in the Moro community, and ethnic tensions encouraged with the formation of secessionist movements.

[27] Many of them left schools in Manila and joined New People's Army units in their home provinces, bringing the Marxist-Leninist Maoist armed conflict to Mindanao for the first time.

[24] The September 1972 declaration of Martial Law began a 14-year period historically remembered for its human rights abuses,[31][32] often involving the warrantless detention, murder, and physical, sexual, or mental torture[33][34][35] of political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.

[37][38] Within Pagadian itself, documented human rights violations directly associated with the Philippine Constabulary included the killing of political prisoners at the Pagadian City Jail,[39]: 94  while incidents of violence associated with the militias and armed cult groups included violence during the leadup to the 1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum,[39]: 45  and the killing of civilians at checkpoints,[39]: 45 [40] including that of Catholic church worker Mateo Olivar at a checkpoint in Barangay Labangan, sparking local outrage in the Pagadian parish.

[40] In the 1980s, mayor Benjamin Arao initiated a layout for the city's future expansion by proposing a North Diversion Road of which a part would connect to F.S.

Pajares Avenue, one of the city's two major roads via a Rotunda that overlooks the greater Illana Bay and the Moro Gulf beyond.

It is bounded by the municipalities of Tigbao and Dumalinao on the southwest, Lakewood on the west, Labangan on the east and northwest, and Midsalip on the north.

About 45% of the total city area is steeply sloping terrain of hills and mountains on the northwestern portion that covers an estimated 15,090 hectares.

[44] The people of Pagadian (Pagadianons) are classified into three main groups which is based primarily on faith and heritage: (a) the Subanens (or any other indigenous tribes who had been living in the area before the advent of Islam in Mindanao), (b) the Muslim settlers who came from other parts of Mindanao and other places such as Sabah and Indonesia, and (c) the Christian settlers who generally came from the Visayas and Luzon.

Pagadian posted an average annual regular income of P662,511,106.21 from fiscal year 2009 to 2016, thus classifying it as a 1st class component city in the Philippines.

However, agriculture is still considered the primary economic resource with the production of rice, corn, coconut, fruit, root crops and animal husbandry.

Production of raw materials like seaweeds, coco processing, cassava constitute a large part of the local economy; small-scale manufacturing of furniture and decors made out of wood, bamboo, rattan, steel and plastic; handicrafts made out of bamboo, rattan, coco shell, wood, marine shell, ceramics, and weaving.

On every June 21, the Araw ng Pagadian is celebrated in commemoration of its founding as a chartered city; as Capital of Zamboanga del Sur, the city hosts the annual provincial celebration in September with agro-trade exhibits, a civic-military parade, cultural presentations and sports competitions.

The Pagadian Rotunda is a roundabout and circular park that overlooks Illana Bay where the North Diversion Road and F.S.

The Provincial Government Complex is the civic, sports and cultural center of the Province of Zamboanga del Sur of which Pagadian is the capital.

Elected officials for the 2019–2022 term are: Tricycles or Bao-Bao are the primary public transport in the urban center while jeepneys usually ply the city's rural barangays.

Buses, minibuses, and jeepneys are the modes of transportation for transients bound for the neighboring municipalities and other parts of Zamboanga del Sur.

[53] The airport serves as the only air portal in the Province of Zamboanga del Sur with direct flights to and from Manila and Cebu.