Quezon City is not located in and should not be confused with Quezon province, which was also named after the president, who hailed from that province.
Being the former capital, many government offices are located in the city, including the Batasang Pambansa, the seat of the House of Representatives, which is the lower chamber in the Philippine Congress. The main campus of the University of the Philippines is also located here.
The city features many spacious parks, tree-lined boulevards, and lots of commercial areas, popular with shoppers all over the metropolis. Most of the city is composed of residential areas and there is almost little industry in the large city.
Quezon City is the biggest city in Metro Manila, which at approximately 160 square kilometers covers almost one-fourth of the area of Metro Manila. The city lies on a relatively high plateau on the northeast corner of the metropolis between the lowlands of Manila to the southwest and the Marikina River valley to the east. The southern portion is drained by the very narrow San Juan River and its tributaries to Pasig River, while running in the northern portions of the city is the equally narrow Tullahan River.
Quezon City is bordered by Manila to the southwest, by Caloocan City and Valenzuela City to the west and northwest. To the south lies San Juan and Mandaluyong City while Marikina City and Pasig City borders Quezon City to the southeast. To the north across Marilao River lies San Jose del Monte City in the province of Bulacan and to the east lies Rodriguez and San Mateo, both in the province of Rizal.
The city can be divided into a number of areas. The southern portion of the city, where most of the interesting places are, is divided into a number of places including Diliman, Commonwealth, the Project areas, Cubao, Kamias-Kamuning, New Manila, San Francisco del Monte and Sta. Mesa Heights. The northern half of the city is often called Novaliches and contains the areas of Fairview and Lagro. Most of these areas have no defined boundaries and are primarily residential in nature.
At Diliman's center lies the Quezon Memorial where Pres. Manuel L. Quezon is interred. The monument, encased in marble, is the highest structure in that part of the city. Running around the monument is the 2-kilometer Quezon Memorial Circle, also known as the Elliptical Road. The circle links Commonwealth, Visayas, Kalayaan, East, North, and Quezon Avenues. The last three avenues provide access to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the main highway in Metro Manila.
The Quezon City Hall, one of the highest city halls in the country is located along the Circle. Surrounding the city hall are spacious parks and open areas. Some of the national government angencies whose head office is located in Diliman are the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Social Security Systems (SSS), the National Power Corporation, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs), the National Computer Center (NCC), the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Agrarian Reform (DAR), and the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Surrounding the Circle are many important health centers and institutions. Along East Avenue stands the Philippine Heart Center, the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC), the National Kidney Institute, and the Philippine Mental Health Association. Along North Avenue is the Veteran's Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) and the Philippine Health Association. The Philippine Children's Medical Center and Lung Center of the Philippines is located along Quezon Avenue.
The University of the Philippines, Diliman (UPD) lies at the northwestern portion of Diliman occupying 492 hectares of rolling land. See the University of the Philippines, Diliman (Campus section).
Most of the rest of the area is devoted to residential purposes. Some villages in this portion of Diliman contain boarding houses where faculty and students of UPD stay.
At the heart of Commonwealth is the Batasang Pambansa (literally national lawmaking place), which is where the country's House of Representatives holds its sessions. Many congressmen stay in houses in the surrounding subdivisions.
South of Commonwealth and east of Diliman is Balara. The area of Balara along Tandang Sora Avenue is relatively poor, while the outlying areas contain some of the richest subdivisions in the city. Capitol Hills Subdivision and Ayala Homes are where many rich congressmen live. Adjacent to Ayala Heights is the Capitol Hills Golf and Country Club, a popular golf course.
The main campus of the Ateneo de Manila University, one of the country's top universities, is located in Loyola Heights.
Loyola Heights Subdivision is a middle-class residencial area that caters to students of UPD and the Ateneo. La Vista Subdivision, north of Ateneo, is a rich village where some of the top politicians in the country, including Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo live.
North from Araneta Center along EDSA are numerous bus terminals. This is the area where many residents Metro Manila go to in order to take bus rides to almost any point in Luzon.
West of Libis are many high-class subdivisions like Greenmeadows, White Plains, and Corinthian Gardens. Further west are Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame. Camp Aguinaldo is a base of the Armed Forces of the Philippines while Camp Crame is the headquarters of the Philippine National Police.
In South Triangle (the area bounded by Quezon Avenue, Timog Avenue, and EDSA) are located the head offices of ABS-CBN and GMA Network, the top two TV media companies in the country.
Most of the streets in the surrounding area were named in memory of 20 boy scouts who died in a plane crash en route to joining the 11th World Jamboree. A memorial stands in the center of a rotunda at the intersection of Timog and Tomas Morato avenues. Because of this, Timog area is also often called Scout Area. In fact, one of the barangays (small local government unit) in the area is called Laging Handa (always ready), the motto of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
Quezon City, being a part of the Metro Manila region, has its mayor in the Metro Manila Council headed by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). This council formulates development plans that seeks to solve the problems and improve the conditions in the metropolis.
Quezon city is divided into 142 barangays (the smallest local government units) which handles governance in a much smaller area. These barangays are grouped into four congressional districts where each district is represented by a congressman in the country's House of Representatives.
In the early 1900s, President Manuel L. Quezon dreamed of a city that will become the future capital of the country, replacing Manila. In 1938, President Quezon purchased 1,529 hectares from the vast Diliman Estate of the Tuason Family. The National Assembly of the Philippine Commonwealth passed a Commonwealth Act known as the “Charter of Quezon City”. President Quezon signed the bill into law on October 12, 1939, establishing Quezon City.
After the war, Republic Act No. 333 was signed by Manuel Roxas on July 17, 1948 declaring Quezon City to be the republic's capital. Two years later on June 16, 1950, the City Charter was revised by Republic Act No. 537, extending the city's boundaries to its present area of 15,359 hectares.
On November 7, 1975 the passage of Presidential Decree No. 824 under President Ferdinand Marcos established Metro Manila. Quezon City then became one of Metro Manila's 17 cities and municipalities. The next year, Presidential Decree No. 940 transferred the capital back to Manila on June 24, 1976.
On February 23, 1998, Republic Act. No. 8535 was signed by President Fidel Ramos. The Act provided for the creation of the City of Novaliches comprising the 15 northernmost barangays of Quezon City. However, in the succeeding plebiscite on October 23, 1999, an overwhelming majority of Quezon City residents voted “no” to the bill.
The City
Diliman
Diliman, located at the center of the southern part of Quezon City, is where many government offices are located, including the City Hall. Diliman is also home to the main campus of the University of the Philippines.Commonwealth and Balara
North of Diliman lies the Commonwealth area, so-named because of Commonwealth Avenue (also named Don Mariano Marcos Avenue) which runs through its center. This is a primarily middle-class residential area home to many subdivisions (residential associations).Loyola Heights
Loyola Heights, to the southeast of Diliman is Marikina City's gateway to Quezon City. The Aurora Boulevard and Katipunan Avenue provide easy access, but often bringing traffic jams especially during rush hours.Cubao
Cubao, south of Diliman is an important commercial area. At its heart is the Araneta Center, along EDSA and Aurora Boulevard and contains a number of shopping malls catering to the middle-class. At the center is Araneta Coliseum, often called the Big Dome. Many musical concerts and basketball games are held in this 50,000-capacity coliseum.Libis
Located at the southeastern corner of Quezon City, Libis is one of the newly developed commercial areas in Quezon City. Numerous bars and restaurants have been put up since 2000 along E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue (C-5). The Eastwood City Project was put up in the area. Several office and residential skyscrapers stand in Eastwood and at its center are many open-air restaurants and coffee shops reminiscent of Paris boulevards, but with a modern architecture. Libis is fast becoming one of the hippest areas for night entertainment, similar to the Malate and Ermita districts of Manila.Timog Area
The areas surrounding Timog Avenue (South Avenue) and Tomas Morato Avenue is a popular entertainment area. Located along these two avenues are many of the best fine-dining restaurants and bars. Numerous discotheques, Karaoke joints, and comedy bars provide patrons with all-night-long recreation.Novaliches
The northern half of the city is called Novaliches and is primarily residential in character. Its eastern portion is covered by the La Mesa Dam Watershed. The La Mesa Dam collects water in a reservior and supplies much of northern Metro Manila's water supply.Commerce and Economy
Shopping Centers
Industry
Transportation
Communications
Education, Culture, and Recreation
Educational Institutions
Arts
Sports
Entertainment
Government
Like other cities in the Philippines, Quezon City is governed by a Mayor and Vice mayor elected to three-year terms. The Mayor is the executive head and leads the city's departments in executing the city ordinances and improving public services. The Vice mayor heads a legislative council consisting of 10 members. The council is in charge of creating the city's policies.History
Mayors