The city of Marikina has come a long way. Starting as a rural barrio during the Spanish times, it became one of the component municipalities of the newly created province of Rizal during the American period. By virtue of the Presidential Decree No. 824 enacted in 1975, it became one of the component municipalities of the newly created Metropolitan Manila Area. In 1996, it became a full-fledged city.
Marikina is well known for its shoe industry. The city is the Philippines’ largest exporter of leather shoes, although footwear is just one of its major products. It is also home to a number of manufacturing plants, including Lucio Tan’s Fortune Tobacco, U.S. cigarette-maker Philip Morris, firearms manufacturer Armscor, and Japanese company Noritake. The city’s manufacturing industry has made it one of Metro Manila’s most prosperous local government units.
The growth of Marikina’s shoe industry has also resulted in the growth of its residential sector, with many affordable housing options attracting many seekers from Rizal province and other cities in Metro Manila. Examples of these affordable housing are houses for rent in Marikina.
The upbeat economy of Metro Manila has made it the most popular option for people looking for residential properties, especially houses for rent in Marikina. Not only is the city home to a huge population of employees who work in Makati, Taguig, and Ortigas Center, but many residents of the neighboring Rizal towns also migrate here to take advantage of the city’s employment opportunities. As of the 2015 Census, the city’s population was close to half a million, growing at about 1.5% per year.
The houses for rent in Marikina are relatively affordable, with the most affordable amounting to a monthly rental of Php 35,000 for a four-bedroom townhouse unit and the most expensive costing around Php 85,000 for a five-bedroom, two-storey house for rent. The rental houses have floor areas ranging from 90 square meters up to 600 square meters, making it ideal for small- to big-sized families, newly-wed couples, and first-time homebuyers who want to move into a suburban area in Metro Manila.
Just like the neighboring Quezon City, Marikina is also home to numerous residential subdivisions or gated communities. The most well-known and largest among them are Paliparan Subdivision and SSS Village, both of which are massive suburban sprawls home to thousands of middle-class Filipino families. However, in recent years, the city has also seen the development of villages aimed at the high-end market, including Loyola Grand Villas close to Quezon City, Provident Village, Marikina Heights, and Rancho Estate Subdivision. Therefore, looking for a house for rent in Marikina is quite an easy feat. There are plenty of options for every possible budget, and would-be residents of the city are assured that the property they choose is easily accessible, thanks to the city’s improving transportation infrastructures.
Furthermore, families who choose to settle in a house for rent in Marikina need not travel or drive far for their weekend rest and recreation. The city is home to two large SM malls: SM City Marikina and SM City Masinag (close to Antipolo). Federal Land built its own commercial center in the city, Blue Wave Marikina, which is also an IT center accredited by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. There is also the Riverbanks Center (also known as Marikina Riverbanks), a 21-hectare mixed-use development home to call centers, schools, about 200 commercial tenants, and what is perhaps the world’s largest pair of shoes—a tribute to the industry that made it the progressive city that it is today.