THE BAGUIO

Baguio, officially the City of Baguio (Filipino: Lungsod ng Baguio; Ilokano: Ciudad ti Baguio; Ibaloi: Ciudad ni Bagiw) and often referred to as Baguio City, is a highly urbanized city located in the province of Benguet in northern Luzon island of thePhilippines. The city has become the center of business and commerce as well as the center of education in the entire Northern Luzon thereby becoming the seat of government of the Cordillera Administrative Region (C.A.R.).^[3] According to the 2010 census, Baguio City has a population of 318,676.

 Baguio City was established by the Americans as a hill station in 1900 at the site of an Ibaloi village known as Kafagway. It was the United States' only hill station in Asia.^[4] The name of the city is derived from the Ibaloi word bagiw meaning 'moss.' The Ibaloi is the indigenous language in the Benguet Region,. The city is situated at an altitude of approximately 1,540 meters (5,050 feet) in the Luzon tropical pine forests ecoregion conducive for the growth of mossy plants and orchids.

 Because of its cool climate, Baguio City was designated by the Philippine Commission as the "Summer Capital" of the Philippines on June 1, 1903 wherein the government was transferred to city to escape the lowland heat during summer. It was incorporated as a chartered city by the Philippine Assembly on September 1, 1909, as authored by former Philippines Supreme Court JusticeGeorge A. Malcolm. The City of Baguio celebrated its Centennial on September 1, 2009.

 The city is home to many immigrants from other parts of the country. A significant population of foreigners also contributed to the diversity of the city's colorful culture. Thelanguages commonly spoken in Baguio are Kankanaey, Ibaloi, Ifugao, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Tagalog, English, Chinese. Several establishments were founded to accommodate their needs. Posters and signages are sometimes printed with Korean translation. Several restaurants also serve different types of local and foreign cuisine.

Baguio's youth majority in the population has given it a distinct flavor different from those of other cities in the Philippines. Although Baguio is very modern nowadays,Panagbenga Festival, the annual Flower Festival, is celebrated each February to showcase Baguio's rich cultural heritage, its appreciation of the environment, and inclination towards the arts.