Quezon City facts for kids

Commonwealth Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Quezon City.

Quezon City is a highly urbanized city and the most populous city in the Philippines. It was founded by and named after Manuel L. Quezon, the 2nd President of the Philippines, to replace Manila as the national capital. The city was proclaimed as such in 1948, though a significant number of government buildings have remained in Manila. Quezon City held status as the official capital until 1976 when a presidential decree was issued to reinstate and designate Manila as the capital and Metro Manila as the seat of government.

It is the largest city in terms of population and land area in Metro Manila, the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Quezon City is not located in and should not be confused with Quezon Province, which was also named after the president.

Quezon City hosts a number of government offices, the most important of which are the Batasang Pambansa Complex (the seat of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Philippine Congress), and the Quezon City Reception House (the current seat of the Vice President of the Philippines). Quezon City also serves as home to the University of the Philippines Diliman—the national university—and Ateneo de Manila University.

Also located in Quezon City is the Quezon Memorial Circle, a national park. The park is an ellipse bounded by Elliptical Road. Its main feature is the Quezon Memorial Shrine, a 66-meter-tall mausoleum containing the remains of President Quezon and his wife, First Lady Aurora Quezon. The shrine is considered Quezon City's foremost landmark and is depicted in its city seal.