Baguio is a highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, making it administratively independent. Though located approximately 250 kilometers north of Manila, the construction and completion of expressways (NLEX, SCTEX and TPLEX) made Baguio so much more accessible. Geographically centered in the heart of Benguet Province, it is bounded on the north by La Trinidad, the capital of the province, on the East by Itogon and on the South and West by Tuba. The city also serves as the regional center of the Cordillera Administrative Region.
The city has a land area of 57.51 square kilometers. As of the 2020 Census, population was 366,358. This represented 20.38% of the total population of the Cordillera Administrative Region. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 6,370 inhabitants per square kilometer. Pest population increases with the increase of human population.
Baguio is a mountain town of universities and resorts. Called the “City of Pines,” it’s particularly popular in summer due to unusually cooler weather than most parts of the Philippines.
Baguio is the melting pot of different peoples and cultures in the Cordillera Administrative Region. Because of this, numerous investments and business opportunities are lured to the city.
One of the country’s most profitable Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is in the city, the areas called the Baguio City Economic Zone (BCEZ) Camp John Hay Special Economic Zone. The BCEZ houses a dozen companies including Texas Instruments Phils Inc. and Moog Controls Corporation (Phils) which produces electronics and semiconductors for export. Other products in BCEZ include textiles and plastic-based materials.
Camp John Hay, the former US military base, is now home to many investors ranging from real estate, hotels and restaurants, business outsource processing ventures, eco-tourism and adventure sports ventures and stores promoting export-quality gifts and souvenir products.
