The petitioners who call themselves Cabeza Tenientes wished to name the new town Soldevilla, named after Senior Don Manuel Boutelon y Soldevilla, the Alcalde Mayor of the Province at that time. When he declined, the Parish Priest, Fr. Nicolas Manrique Alonzo suggested the name Urdaneta, in honor of Father Andres de Urdaneta, a famous soldier, navigator, historian, cosmographer, and evangelist. He also joined Legazpi’s Expedition to the Philippines in 1564.
A conglomeration of several neighboring barrios of Asingan, Villasis, Malasiqui, Santa Barbara, Mangaldan, Manaoag, and Binalonan, Urdaneta was organized into a pueblo on January 8, 1858, populated mostly by Ilocano migrants from neighboring provinces.
The petition of Cabeza Tenientes for the establishment of the Municipality of Urdaneta was granted on January 8, 1858, with the inauguration of the city held two months later.
Through Rep. Amadeo R. Perez Jr., the sponsor of R.A. 8480, a bill converting the Municipality of Urdaneta into a component city passed into law. Urdaneta was proclaimed a city on March 21, 1998.
Urdaneta is part of the fifth congressional district. It is 24 kilometers from Dagupan city and 59 kilometers from the capital town Lingayen. Urdaneta has a total land area of 10,026 hectares and a population of 144,577 people according to the 2020 census.
Its convenient location made Urdaneta City a bagsakan or a drop-off point for goods from different towns and provinces. Urdaneta City produces rice, vegetables, and noodles.
Attractions in Urdaneta City include the Museo de Urdaneta, Cabaruan, Sugcong, and Oltama Rolling Hills.
Officials
Mayor
Julio Parayno
Vice Mayor
Jimmy Parayno
Councilors
Franco Paolo Del Prado
Aurelio Agsalud
Warren Andrada
Blesido Sumera
Onofre Gorospe
Amado Veridiano
Alfonso Miguel Del Prado
Jhan Hero Sumera
Franklin Villanueva
Rio Virgilio Esteves
