Tarlac City
', officially the ' (; ; ; ), is a and capital of the province of , . According to the , it has a population of people. The city was proclaimed as a highly urbanized city by the former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, but the decision was opposed by the provincial government. History. Tarlac's first settlers came from Bacolor, Pampanga. They cleared the area, fertilised the soil, and then established their settlement here in 1788. This small community of settlers experienced rapid population growth, as settlers from Bataan, Pampanga and Zambales moved into the area. The Kapampangan language, which is the dialect of Pampanga, became  the native language of this town. Roads and barrios were built over the following decades through hard work of its residents. Following the foundation of the province of Tarlac in 1872, Tarlac was designated as the capital of the new province. Cityhood. On June 21, 1969, President Ferdinand Marcos signed and approved the Republic Act 5907, converting this municipality into a city. However, its plebiscite was unsuccessful, showing their voters rejected cityhood. On April 21, 1990, the barangays of Burgos, David, Iba, Labney, Lawacamulag, Lubigan, Maamot, Mababanaba, Moriones, Pao, San Juan de Valdez, Sula, and Villa Aglipay, originally part of  the then-municipality of Tarlac, separated and formed to be the part of San Jose. Tarlac now retains its 274.66 km (106.05 sq mi) area. Finally, on March 12, 1998, Republic Act 8593 was signed by President Fidel V. Ramos, making Tarlac as the component city of the province of Tarlac. On April 18, 1998, its residents approved the conversion of the municipality into a city. Tarlac was proclaimed as the component city by COMELEC on the next day, on April 19, 1998. Highly urbanized city. On October 27, 2005, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the Proclamation No. 940, making  Tarlac City into a highly urbanized city (HUC) in the province. However, the provincial government opposed the city's campaign for conversion into HUC. The majority of voters rejected the conversion in the plebiscite on February 11, 2006. Geography. The city is situated at the centre of the province of Tarlac, along the Tarlac River. To its north is Gerona and Santa Ignacia, west is San Jose, south is Capas and Concepcion and eastern boundaries are Victoria and La Paz. Tarlac City is located from the regional center San Fernando, Pampanga, and from Manila. Tarlac City is approximately above sea  level on some parts but reaching even on large western portions. Tarlac City was historically a part of what is now Porac, Pampanga. Parts of Tarlac City are claimed to be among the few portions of land in the province which was not created by ancient eruptions from Mount Pinatubo. Barangays. Tarlac City is politically subdivided into 76 barangays. Demographics. In the , the population of Tarlac City was people, with a density of . Languages. Being at the meeting point of both Kapampangan and Pangasinan languages, cultures, and ethnicities, both languages are predominantly spoken in the city and environs. Ilocano and  Tagalog are also used by a few city dwellers, especially those with Ilocano and/or Tagalog ethnicity/ancestry, respectively, with the latter language also serving as a medium for inter-ethnic communications. Religion. According to statistics compiled by the Philippine government, the most dominant religion in the city is Christianity. The majority of Christians are Roman Catholics followed by a large concentration of Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ). Other Christian groups belong to various Protestant denominations. There are some being non-Christian such as Muslims, etc. Economy. Shopping malls. There are several shopping malls established within the city. To name  a few, there is the SM City Tarlac, which is the first SM Supermall in the Tarlac Province, located along McArthur Highway in San Roque; Plaza Luisita Mall, which is the first shopping center in Central Luzon (now Robinsons Luisita); the Magic Star Mall along Romulo Blvd. in Barangay Cut-cut; My MetroTown Mall in Barangay Sto Cristo; Palm Plaza Mall located along McArthur Highway corner F. Tanedo St. Barangay Matatalaib; CityWalk also located in Barangay San Roque and CityMall located in Barangay San Rafael. Education. As the educational center of Tarlac, Tarlac City houses the main campus of Tarlac  State University, as well as other higher educational institutions. The Tarlac City Schools Division of the Department of Education operates 87 elementary schools and 13 high schools as of 2013. Some private schools in Tarlac City are the Don Bosco Technical Institute, College of the Holy Spirit, Kian Tiak School, and the Ecumenical Christian College. Tourism. Festivals. The Malatarlak Festival, celebrated every January in Tarlac City, is one of the most remarkable festivals in the province. In 2011, the City Mayor then changed the name of the festival to Melting Pot Festival, but it is still remembered by its former  name. The festival is a commemoration to the first people who built civilization in the province, the Aetas. The names and themes of the festivals in Tarlac City have changed over the years depending on the city's leadership. For the current administration (since July 2016), the local fiesta or festival has been called Kaisa Festival derived from the word "magkaisa" (to unite). Transportation. Tarlac City is the usual bus stop for commuters traveling from the South to the Ilocos Region and Cordillera provinces. Bus companies that take a route through the city include Pangasinan Solid North Transit, Inc., Dagupan  Bus Company, Philippine Rabbit, Victory Liner, Five Star, First North Luzon Transit, Cisco, Genesis, Santrans, Viron Transit, Partas, and many others. Many of the bus companies' rest stops can be found along MacArthur Highway including Siesta and Motorway. The MacArthur Highway goes from the southern to the northern end of the city. There are a series of roads leading to Zambales and Pangasinan as well as Baguio City. Most buses passing through the town of Camiling onwards to Pangasinan usually take the Romulo Highway which forks from MacArthur Highway along Barangay San Roque. Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) connects with  Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEx) and Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEx) within the capital of the province. The 3 expressways serves as an alternate route for motorists going to the other parts of Northern Luzon area such as Cagayan Valley, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, La Union and Baguio while in the Marcos Highway via TPLEX and Kennon Road from McArthur Highway.