Getting to know the City of Pines

1. Get to Know the
City of Pines
©Baguio Today/ Flickr

2. 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

3. 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

4. ©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.

5. 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

6. 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