Baguio...

Baguio City is a highly urbanized city located in northern Luzon island in the Philippines.  The city has become the center of business and commerce as well as the center of education in entire Northern Luzon thereby becoming the seat of government of the Cordillera Administrative Region.  According to the 2007 census, Baguio City has a population of 301,926.

Baguio City was established by Americans in 1900 at the site of an Ibaloi village known as Kafagway.  The name of the city is derived from the word bagiw in Ibaloi, the indigenous language of the Benguet Region, meaning "moss".  The city is at an altitude of approximately 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in the Luzon tropical pine forests eco-region conducive to the growth of mossy plants and orchids.
Because of its altitude, Baguio City was designated by the Philippine Commission as the Summer Capital of the Philippines on June 1, 1903.  


History

The region around Baguio was first settled primarily by the Ibalois and the Kankanaeys.  In the nearby town of La Trinidad, Benguet, Spaniards established a commandante or military garrison, but Kafagway, as Baguio was once known, was barely touched.
When the Americans took possession of the Philippines, Baguio was selected by a party to become the summer capital of the Philippines.  In 1903 Filipino, Japanese and Chinese workers were hired to build Kennon Road, the first road directly connecting Baguio with the lowlands of Pangasinan.  Before this, the only road to Benguet was Naguilan Road.

The American declared Baguio the Summer Capital of the Philippines on July 1, 1903 - Every year during the months of March to June, the entire American government personnel form the Governor-General to the humblest clerk was moved to Baguio to escape Manila's summer heat (abolished in 1913 when Francis B. Harrison took office).  The Mansion House was built to become the residence of the American governor-general.  The famous American architect Daniel Burnham, one of the earliest successful modern city planners, laid a meticulous plan for the city in 1904.


Climate

Baguio City features a subtropical highland climate under the Koppen climate classification.  The city is known for its mild climate.  It is because of this that Baguio is nicknamed the "Summer Capital of the Philippines".  Owing to its high elevation, the temperature in the city is 8 degrees Celsius lower compared to the average temperature of the rest of the country.  Average temperature ranges from 15 degrees Celsius to 23 degrees Celsius.  It is usually lower during the late and early months of the year.  Baguio seldom exceeds 26 degrees Celsius even during the warmest part of the year.


How to get to Baguio City
By Air - Loakan Airport is the lone airport serving the general area of Baguio City.  The airport is classified as a trunkline airport, or a major commercial domestic airport, by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a body of the Department of Transportation and major international airports.  It is about 10 minutes by car from the city center going south. It takes 45-minute flight from Manila to Baguio.
On land - Baguio City is about 240 kilometers from Manila, the capital of the Philippines.  The trip from Manila to Baguio usually takes just 4-5 hours. It is accessible from various mountain highway systems that folks call the "zigzag" (but mostly this refers to Kennon road, the most popular of them all) that snake through scenic mountains and hills, following the courses of rivers and traversing bridges, to get to that interesting little place affectionately called the City of Pines. 
There are five major highways lead to Baguio City: 

1. Kennon Road has an entry point at Rosario, La Union, the old road that visitors from Manila and places south of the City of Pines love to take.
2. Marcos Highway has two entry points at Rosario and Agoo, both in La Union, and is favored for its wider lanes.
3. Naguilian Road is officially named Quirino Highway although no one really calls it that.  Naguilian road has an entry point at Bauang, La Union and is the road taken by travelers coming from northern Luzon provinces.
4. Halsema Road, passing through La Trinidad Valley - connects Benguet to Mountain Province (Sagada) and Ifugao (Banaue) and other places to the northeast.
5. Baguio-Nueva Vizcaya Road, connects Benguet to Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya, and is the newest access for those coming from provinces to the east of the city and is a great alternative to Halsema Road.
Airconditioned bus trips to Baguio leave Metro Manila every hour, seven (7) days a week.  The popular buslines are Victory Liner, Dagupan Bus Line and Philippine Rabbit.  One way bus tickets to Baguio cost only about Php350-450 ($8-10).


Festival


   

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