Ng?ti Rangit?ne were the local M?ori iwi (tangata whenua) living in the area known as Te Ahu-a-Turanga, when a trader, Jack Duff, became the earliest known European to explore the area in 1830. He came on a whaling ship, and explored as far inland as the site of Woodville. He reported his discovery on arrival back to Porirua. Colonel Wakefield heard of the potential that the Manawatu had for development and visited in 1840. In 1846 Charles Hartley, another trader, heard from tangata whenua of a clearing in the Papaioea forest and he proceeded through the dense bush and forest and discovered it for Europeans.
The Government surveyed the area in 1866-67, the original subdivision in the Papaioea forest clearing, being made in 1866. The settlement of Palmerston was laid out by J.T. Stewart, an employee of the Wellington Provincial Government. Stewart's plan consisted of a series of wide and straight streets, laid out in a rectangular pattern, with the focal point being an open space of 17 acres (7 ha) subsequently known as The Square.
1871 saw a name change, the suffix 'North' was added to distinguish the settlement of the same name in the South Island.
By 1877, when the Borough Council came into existence, Palmerston North was an isolated village in the midst of the native forest that covered inland Manawatu. The population was approximately 800 people and sawmilling was the main industry of the district. As the settlement grew, the forest diminished to make way for farms, and today virtually no remnant of it survives.
The arrival of the railway in 1886 saw an increase in the speed of growth, and by 1900 the population was 6,000. By this time the town was at the centre of a lucrative agricultural district.
In 1930, the population reached the 20,000 threshold and Palmerston North was officially proclaimed a city. Development was slow due to the great depression and World War II. An airport was established at Milson in 1936, which is
