Kidapawan became a City on February 12, 1998 by virtue of Republic Act No. 8500 inked by the 12th President Fidel V. Ramos, making it a Component City of the Province of Cotabato. Despite some opposition, Kidapaweños overwhelmingly ratified the cityhood in a plebiscite on March 21, 1998.

Historically named a district of Pikit in 1942, Kidapawan was later declared into a  Municipality through Executive Order No. 82 of President Manuel A. Roxas on August 18, 1947-thereby becoming the fourth town of the then Empire Province of Cotabato. The empire was then composed of the municipalities of Cotabato (now Cotabato City), Dulawan (later named Datu Piang) and Midsayap.

Kidapawan had 12 baranggays along with its creation, namely: Birada, Ginatilan, Indangan, Linangcob, Luvimin, Manongol, Marbel, Mateo, Meohao, Mua-an, Perez and Sibawan with an original land area of 273,262 hectares. However, it retained only 33,926.40 hectares after four municipalities were created out of it as follows: Magpet, Matalam, M’lang and President Roxas.

Prior to its conversion into a municipality, five appointed District Mayors had served Kidapawan. First, Datu Siawan Ingkal, tribal chieftain of the Manobos who headed the Civilian Emergency Administration when World War II broke out; followed respectively by Felimon Blanco, Ceferino Villanueva, Jacinto Paclibar, and Alfonso Angeles Sr., who later became the first elected mayor of Kidapawan.

On November 22, 1973 Kidapawan became the provincial capital of North Cotabato. The provincial seat of government was established in Amas, one of its baranggays. By then, it already had 40 baranggays under its geopolitical jurisdiction.