Excerpts from the works of Mr. Rufino R. San Juan, Jr., Mr. Restituto C. Basa and Mr. Benigno M. de Guzman.
INTRODUCTION
Some 180 kilometers north of Manila, along the Manila - Ilocos roadline, a traveler would come across a town under going fast transformation from an agricultural village into a third city of Pangasinan. This is the town of Urdaneta.
The written history of the town reveals, that Urdaneta was formally founded as a pueblo on January 8, 1858, when the contiguous settlements of the first inhabitants, mostly Ilocano migrants, met all requirements of becoming a town. It came into existence from a conglomeration of portions of barrios from the surrounding towns of Asingan, Villasis, Malasiqui, Sta. Barbara, Mangaldan (Mapandan then was still Mangaldan), Manaoag and Binalonan.
The total land area/political boundary of Urdaneta is 10,025.5945 Has. according to the records of the Land Management Bureau Cadastral Survey. Its strategic location has made it the hub of trade and commerce.
Its strategic location has made it the hub of trade and commerce. It is criss-crossed by the Baguio national highway from the north, the Ilocos Region from the far north; MacArthur highway leading to the City of Dagupan and the capital town Lingayen on the west; and the provincial road to Asingan and other eastern towns of the province.
Aside from its strategic location, with the Fruits and Vegetable Wholesale Market situated at the heart of Brgy. Poblacion, local farmers brought their vegetable and fruits harvest to the market daily. The farm products as far as Ilocos, Central Luzon, the Cordilleras and the vegetable producing towns of Pangasinan came pouring into the market. Making Urdaneta today, the biggest fruits and vegetable market of Pangasinan and the entire Region I.
During the calendar year of 1993, the Municipality of Urdaneta has an annual income of P39,650,025.20 million making it as the only 1st-class municipality in the Province of Pangasinan through the reclassification of the Department of Finance. As for the successive calendar years the annual income of Urdaneta continues to increase, as of CY 1996 the annual income of the Municipality is P71,944,756.68 million enable to qualify to become the third city of Pangasinan.
The September 1995 National Statistics Office Census & Survey their records shows during survey the Municipality of Urdaneta has a population of 100,263, a total household population of 99,948 and with a total of 19,942 no. of household.
For the Interim Batasang Pambansa (IBP) elections on April 7, 1978 - the first under New society. As of June 22, 1997 the Municipality has a voting population of 48,411 as per records of the election registrar office.
Today there are 34 barangays comprises the Municipality, namely, Anonas, Bactad East, Bayaoas, Bolaoen, Cabaruan, Cabuloan, Camanang, Camantiles, Casantaan, Catablan, Cayambanan, Consolacion, Dilan-Paurido, Labit Proper, Labit West, Mabanogbog, Macalong, Nancalobasaan, Nancamaliran East, Nancamaliran West, Nancayasan, Oltama, Palina East, Palina West, Dr. Pedro T. Orata (formerly Bactad Proper), Pinmaludpod, San Jose, San Vicente, Sta. Lucia, Sto. Domingo, Sugcong, Tipuso, Tulong and Poblacion.
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