At the beginning, Magugpo was nothing but a vast wilderness, inhabited by the Mansakas, Manguangans, Mandayas and the Kalagans in the coastal barangays.

[8] When the Spanish arrived with soldiers and settlers led by Don Jose Cruz de Uyanguren to take the settlement in 1848, Datu Bago and his warriors resisted for three months until he finally saw the hopelessness of his cause and abandoned the settlement, which the Spanish took soon thereafter and established a town out of it giving it the name Nueva Vergara,[9] which was renamed Davao in 1867.

[10] Datu Bago then gathered his followers and reestablished his residence and base at Hijo, present-day Barangay Madaum, in which his wife's Kalagan relatives have a stronghold.

[11] The Muslim tribes in the area led by their datus continued the anti-Spanish struggle years and decades after Dato Bago's death in 1850.

Meanwhile, the district governor of Davao, Don Jose Pinzon y Purga, wanted to establish numerous reductions at the Hijo River to permanently settle the nomadic Mandayans.

It would only be more than twelve years later in October 1929 when the first real transformation of Tagum occurred when the first Christian immigrant, a certain Sulpicio Quirante from Moalboal, Cebu, came and settled in what is now Magugpo Poblacion.

The first physical landmarks of Magugpo were a school building, a teacher's cottage, a rest house, and a chapel, all of which were constructed by the Homesteaders' Association in the early 1930s.

352, issued by then Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon on June 23, 1941, establishing the Municipality of Tagum with its seat of government still at Hijo as was before.

From the rubble, Suaybaguio and Quirante spearheaded the construction of houses, drugstores, stores and a church (which remains on the same site even today).

Fortunately for Gementiza's administration, the economic losses of the dying abaca sector and the receding importance of the coconut industry were more than offset by the gains of the emerging banana plantations.

Like the rest of the nation, Tagum suffered political instability and serious peace and order problems during the first five years of the decade.

In spite of the prevailing political unrest of the early eighties, Tagum continuously enjoyed an expanding economy, though at a slower pace.

There might have been a slight slump in the banana industry, but the discovery of abundant mineral resources, specifically gold, in various areas of Davao Province triggered the mini-local economies, not just in Tagum but in the neighboring municipalities as well.

Although, the decentralization policy of the state was very relevant and vital for local and national development, however, there were also problems and issues that were encountered along the process of its implementation.

The fast urbanization of Tagum from the late '80s to 1990 which was attributed to the mushrooming of business establishments and other commercial activities, increasing population and services, and other factors, has caused various problems and needs, like roads, drainage, the increasing numbers of squatters, upscaling trend of traffic congestion in major streets, garbage and sanitation, land use and others.

Confronted by this situation, the local government of Tagum engaged in the revision of its Municipal Comprehensive Development Plan (MCDP).

This was spearheaded by the Municipal Planning and Development Office (MPDO) with assistance from the University of the Philippines College of Architecture Foundation, Inc. (UP ARKI), Manila and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLRB), Region XI.

Prior to its approval, a public hearing was conducted in Tagum by the Committee on Local Government of the House of Congress, chaired by Congressman Ciriaco Alfelor.

However, he only served in his capacity as the mayor for a short period because he also resigned and sought for a higher political position as board member in the provincial government.

The 2007 local elections saw the reelectionists-tandem Uy and Allan L. Rellon pitted against the opposition candidates Meliton D. Lemos and running-mate, Geterito T. Gementiza, with the Uy-Rellon tandem winning by a big margin of votes.

At present, the incumbent local chief executives, with the support of the City Legislative Council and various LGU organizations, initiated political will to forge a new brand of public administration.

Since 1999, Tagum annually hosts the Musikahan Festival aimed at showcasing the musical talents of Tagumeños, Mindanaoans, and Filipinos in general, draws thousands of visitors both locally and internationally.

Currently, the city is the only one in the Philippines to have a direct joint agreement with Venezuela for cultural exchange, in line with the 11th Musikahan sa Tagum in 2011, thus supporting the city's claim as The Cultural Center of Mindanao, and as affirmed by the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Music and College of Arts and Letters.

Poverty incidence of Tagum Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] Tagum, from being a predominantly agricultural area, has become Mindanao's fastest-growing urban city due to its strategic location, being in the crossroads between the rural areas of Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley and the urban Metro Davao.

Thanks to the influx of people from the countryside of Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley the rise of human resources has helped a lot in the revenue generation of the city.

Other major highways include N909, which serves the adjacent municipalities to the west, and N74 (Apokon Road), which runs to Davao Oriental.

Due to the worsening traffic condition in the city, the local government unit and DPWH had agreed on the construction of a 1.6 kilometer flyover along Daang Maharlika.

Universities Colleges Public high schools Private high schools Tagum, being in the broadcast range from television and cable stations based in Davao City, had no indigenous media industry until 2005, when Manila Broadcasting Company started airing as Radyo Natin Tagum.

[31] Also, students from different schools and universities in the region have conducted study tours and field trips to the city, due to the diversity of its tourist spots, accessibility to transport, and high security standards.

This rate will increase toward the end of this year as more commercial establishments are being constructed in the city, notably malls, hotels, restaurants and public facilities.