Get to Know theCity of Pines

©Baguio Today/ Flickr

The areas around Baguio was first inhabited by Ibalois or Nabalois.

Save for a military garrison in the nearby town of La Trinidad, the area that is now Baguio City and surrounding areas was in now way inhabited by

Spanish government during the colonial era.

This is contributory to the city having little to no Spanish influenced heritage sites or structures, unlike majority of the Philippines.

©Julius Andres Manzano / Flickr

It was upon the arrival of the Americans after the Spanish-American war when development began in Baguio City, with Americans declaring Baguio the “Summer

Capital of the Philippines” on July 1, 1903.

Since this time, the city becomes the national capital, where the entire operations of the American Government was transferred to the city from the months of March

to June in order to avoid the summer heat of Manila.

This would be a common practice for almost a decade, with it being abolished as Governor-General Francis B. Harrison took office in 1913.

©Glenn Chua / Flickr

©Tony Hidalgo / Flickr

Daniel Burnham, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, was the lead urban designer for Baguio City.

Along with the City of Pines, Burnham also had leading roles in the development of cities like Manila and Chicago.

Baguio’s Burham Park, which took early design cues from Chicago’s park district, was subsequently named after the American architect.

Camp John Hay, a tourist attraction in Baguio which features attractions like the Manor Hotel and the Forest lodge, started out as an American R&R facility that was not open to the

public.

The former John Hay Air Station was the site of the formal surrender of Imperial Japanese Armed Forces to American authorities, marking the end of World War II.

Camp John Hay still houses the United States Ambassador’s Residence, but the area has long stopped being an American base and now features commercial centers like the Mile-Hi

Recreation Center.

©Wilson Santos/ Flickr

On average, Baguio City’s climate is 8 degrees cooler than any of the lowland areas in the Philippines. The city hardly ever exceeds 26 degrees

Centigrade, even at its warmest.

The lowest recorded temperature in the city was 6.3 degrees, which occurred on the 18th of January 1961.

©Jekert Gwapo/ Flickr