Maria Aurora, Aurora
', officially the ' (; ), is the only landlocked and 2nd class in the province of , . According to the , it has a population of people. Despite being the only landlocked town of the province, it is the most populated municipality. The Millennium Tree in Balete Park and the lush green landscape is Maria Aurora's main tourist asset. History. The town was named after Maria Aurora "Baby" Aragon Quezon, the first daughter of Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon and First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon. Maria Aurora, along with her mother Aurora, was ambushed and assassinated by elements of the Hukbalahap  movement in Nueva Ecija. The municipality of Maria Aurora was formed on July 21, 1949, through the "Executive Order No. 246" out of various portions of the municipalities of Baler and Infanta, both of which were part of Quezon province. Proposal for the Municipality of Dr. Juan C. Angara. A separate municipality called "Dr. Juan C. Angara" is being proposed under Senate Bill No. 3132 and House Bill No. 6518. The proposed municipality shall have a land area of and is composed of western barangays of Dianawan, Decoliat, Galintuja, San Juan, Suguit, Bazal, Pungio, Villa Aurora and Dialatnan. San Juan  will serve as poblacion or the seat of government. Geography. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the has a land area of constituting of the total area of Aurora. Maria Aurora is the only non-coastal municipality of the province. It is bounded by Baler and Dipaculao on the east, San Luis on the south, the Province of Nueva Ecija on the west and the Province of Nueva Vizcaya on the north-west. Barangays. Maria Aurora is politically subdivided into 40 barangays. Demographics. In the , had a population of . The population density was . Government. List of mayors. Maria Aurora was  administered by 12 mayors since its establishment in 1949. Transportation. Maria Aurora can be accessed by road through two routes: the Canili–Pantabangan Road, which passes Nueva Ecija's northern towns and through Alfonso Castañeda, Nueva Vizcaya; and the Nueva Ecija–Aurora Road, built on the 1940s that traverses the Sierra Madre Mountains and passes through the towns of Baler and San Luis. Today, the Canili–Pantabangan Road is much more commonly used, though it extends travel time for 1 hour, it is the safest route for vehicles. Originally, the Nueva Ecija–Aurora Road is the standard road for bus  commuters, the shortest but the steep turns and unpaved roads makes it the most dangerous for heavy vehicles. There are five bus lines that serve Maria Aurora's vicinity: Maria Aurora Express (PAPIN) (Cabanatuan–Dipaculao); D' Liner (Cabanatuan\Baguio - Maria Aurora, Casiguran; Genesis Bus Transport (Manila\Cabanatuan - Baler); - Aurora Bus Line (Cabanatuan - Baler) and Lizardo Transit (Baguio - Baler) Healthcare. The Department of Health sustains health over the municipality. The municipality has 21 health centers and one provincial hospital, the Aurora Provincial Hospital located in barangay Buhangin in Baler, 30 kilometers south of the town. Education. Maria Aurora has its education sustained by  the Department of Education - Division of Aurora. The municipality has 38 public elementary and high schools with 1 central school (Maria Aurora Central School). Private institutions in the municipality include Mount Carmel School of Maria Aurora and Wesleyan University - Philippines (Aurora)