Malaybalay, officially the City of Malaybalay (Dakbayan sa Malaybalay; Bukid and Higaonon: Bánuwa ta Malaybaláy; Lungsod ng Malaybalay), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 190,712 people.
The city, dubbed as the "South Summer Capital of the Philippines", is bordered north by Impasugong; west by Lantapan; south by Valencia and San Fernando; and east by Cabanglasan and Agusan del Sur.
It was formerly part of the province of Misamis Oriental as a municipal district in the late 19th century. When the special province of Agusan (now Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur) and its sub-province (Bukidnon) were created in 1907, Malaybalay was designated as the capital of Bukidnon. It was then formally established as a municipality on October 19, 1907, and was created into a city on February 11, 1998, by virtue of Republic Act 8490.
Malaybalay City is the venue of the Kaamulan Festival, held annually from mid-February to March 10.
Historiographic accounts for Malaybalay are scarce, and conflicting narratives further obscure the actual history of the city due to the oral nature of passing information by the indigenous peoples and the incomplete accounts of Spanish registries in the region.
Malaybalay is one of the few villages in central Mindanao that was founded by the natives. People who lived in the present-day Malaybalay and indeed most of Northern Mindanao and parts of Caraga now call themselves Higaonon. Higaonon tribal chieftains claim a city was built at the confluence (sabangán) of the Kibalabag and Can-ayan Rivers, at which point the Tagoloan River begins and is considered a sacred place by the tribe. They never converted to Islam like the tribes in Cotabato and Lanao.
The Spanish, who arrived in the area in the 18th century, already saw thriving communities along the Tagoloan River. In 1815, the Province of Misamis was created, which included areas of present-day Bukidnon.