San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte

San Nicolas is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2006 census, it has a population of 35,122 people in 7,423 households.cite web|url=http://www.sannicolasilocosnorte.gov.ph/profile.html|title=San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte Profile|format=JSP] San Nicolanians are famous for their traditionally-designed pots (called "bangas") and their warm hospitality towards visitors.

Historical Background

The present name of San Nicolas was given in the year 1733, after Saint Nicholas de Tolentino who was believed to have protected the people against floods, earthquakes, fires, typhoons and other calamities. It is significant that in Ilocos Norte, only San Nicolas was named after a Saint.

Like any other town in the ancient province of Ilocos, San Nicolas was established by Augustinian missionaries. Vigan, the first Spanish mission center in this region, was founded in 1575. In the year 1572, when the Spaniards first explored the Laoag (Padsan) River, they met hostile resistance from the natives of San Nicolas and Laoag. In another expedition dispatched from Vigan in 1584 San Nicolas was established and Laoag followed a year later.

San Nicolas Catholic Church built in 1701 is one of the oldest buildings in this province. Its original structure is one of the must see places of the town. The Church and the attached Sta. Rosa Academy Building, the well preserved Municipal Hall and the old Town Plaza sprawled between them constitute the heart of the town center. These buildings and structures are originally built and continue to be festooned with earthen bricks, which is among the products of the surviving local earthenware industry.

It is also located right at the center of the developing metropolis radiating from Laoag City. The town is a potential contributor to the social, economic and cultural development of Ilocos Norte in support to the Provincial Government’s program of reviving and enriching the Ilocano cultural heritage under the leadership of Governor Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

chools

San Nicolas National High School (SNNHS) is the most popular high school destination for teens living in the urban-part of the town. It has two campuses: Main and Bingao campuses.

San Nicolas has 10 public elementary schools composed of:

CENTRAL ZONE
#San Nicolas Elementary School
#Eladio V. Barangan Memorial Elementary School

SOUTH ZONE
#Cayetano Bumanglag Memorial Elementary School - Brgy. 16
#Catuguing Elementary School - Brgy. 22
#Asuncion Elementary School - Brgy. 17
#Bugnay Elementary School - Brgy. 21
#Bingao Elementary School - Brgy. 18

EAST ZONE
#Filipinas Elementary School - Brgy. 6
#Passion Barangan Memorial Elementary School - Brgy. 24
#Barabar Elementary School - Brgy. 23The town has one private, Catholic school, the Sta. Rosa Academy, named after St. Rose of Lima, the patron saint of one of it's founders. It is one of the oldest schools in the Diocese of Laoag. It was established in 1936 by the late Msgr. Fidel Albano, together with the late Miss Rosa Valdes, Mrs. Teresa Llopis Zabala and Miss Castora Bonoan. SRA has defied the barriers of self-centered allegiance and indifference to Church and community and has fostered among her students a deep awareness, openness, high sensitivity and willing responsiveness to the pressing demands of community building without sacrificing but enhancing the intellectual, moral, spiritual development of the Rosan.

Barangays

San Nicolas is politically divided into 24 barangays.

* San Francisco (Pob.) * San Ildefonso (Pob.) * San Agustin * San Baltazar (Pob.) * San Bartolome (Pob.) * San Cayetano (Pob.) * San Eugenio (Pob.) * San Fernando (Pob.) * San Gregorio (Pob.) * San Guillermo (Catuging) * San Jose (Pob.) * San Juan Bautista (Pob.)

* San Lorenzo * San Lucas (Pob.) * San Marcos (Payas) * San Miguel (Pob.) * San Pablo * San Paulo (Pob.) * San Pedro (Bingao) * San Rufino (Pob.) * San Silvestre (Pob.) * Santa Asuncion (Samac) * Santa Cecilia (Barabar) * Santa Monica (Nagrebcan)

References

External links

* [http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/default.asp Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
* [http://www.t-macs.com/kiso/local/ 2000 Philippine Census Information]