Moose Jaw was established with the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1882. The first permanent resident of Moose Jaw was James Hamilton Ross. By May 1883, the population of Moose Jaw fluctuated between 2,000 and 3,000 people. Moose Jaw was given official status as a town on February 13, 1884. The first Mayor was John Edgar Ross. On November 20, 1903, with a population of 2,500 people, Moose Jaw was incorporated as a city. The Mayor was Charles Unwin. City councillors were C.B.C. Sharpe, Donald McLean, J.E. Hopkins, John R. Green, A.R. Garrod, J.U. Munns and secretary-treasurer was W.A. Munns.

In 2005, Moose Jaw has a population of approximately 35,000 people. The annual budget of the City is over 30 million dollars. Nearly half is funded by property taxation. The mayor and six councillors are elected for three year terms and operate with a commissioner form of government. The city manager, formerly called the city commissioner is responsible to city council and administers the operation with a staff of over 300 people. Major departments include police, fire, transit, engineering, finance, and parks and recreation