Quezon City was conceived in a dream of an incomparable man, the late Philippine President Manuel Luis Quezon. He envisioned a place where the common man will find his place with dignity.

In 1938, President Quezon purchased 1,529 hectares from the vast Diliman Estate of the Tuason Family. On the following year, the National Assembly enacted the Commonwealth Act otherwise known as the Charter of Quezon City. On October 12, 1939, President Quezon signed the bill into law, thus, the city was born.

Progress in Quezon City continued until the outbreak of World War II in 1941.

Seven years later, by virtue of Republic Act No. 333 signed on July 17, 1948, Quezon City officially became the capital of the Philippines and the permanent seat of the national government. Its inauguration as the capital city was marked by the laying of a cornerstone for the Capitol Building at Constitution Hills on October 22, 1949. Subsequently, the construction of government buildings began.

On June 16, 1950, the City Charter was revised by Republic Act No. 537, which extended its boundaries to its present area of 15,359 hectares, five times bigger than the City of Manila. It lost its title as the capital city to Manila by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 940 on June 24, 1976.