"AURORA" Baler by drunkenmaster4

Aurora was described by DOT as follows:

Beyond the lush forest of the Sierra Madre mountains lies a splendid land so unbelievably rich and untouched - Aurora, otherwise known as the “Sanctuary of Nature’s Splendor.”

The Sierra Madre mountain range covers a large part of the province of Aurora. In fact, next to the Aurora coastline, it is the place where flora and fauna are most concentrated. Waterfalls, rivers, crystal clear streams of varying sizes are located within, if not adjacent to, the area of the Sierra Madre Mountain. Special interest trips such as mountain climbing, safari, bird watching, ecological studies, or even as simple as picnics could be rolled into one by taking the trails recommended by local nature trekkers in the area.

Aurora has a total land area of 308,122 hectares. Its main link to the rest of Luzon is a narrow mountain gravel road twisting across the Sierra Madre mountain ranges between Baler and the municipality of Bongabon in Nueva Ecija. Aurora is composed of eight municipalities, with Baler as the provincial capital. The province was named after Aurora Quezon, born in Baler and wife of Manuel L. Quezon, the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth.

Aurora was first explored by Juan de Salcedo in 1571 when he reached Casiguran and Baler from Laguna. In 1609, a Franciscan mission was founded in Baler. In 1735, Baler was destroyed by a tidal wave from the Pacific Ocean. The surviving inhabitants decided to move to higher ground. In 1814, the village of Binondo was founded away from the coast.

Baler was a part of Nueva Ecija until 1902, when it was ceded to Tayabas (now Quezon province). During the Commonwealth period, when President Quezon unexpectedly visited Binondo, he named it Aurora in honor of his wife.

In 1951, municipalities now comprising the province were organized into Aurora, then a sub-province of what had become Quezon. The municipality of Aurora was changed to Maria Aurora.

On August 13, 1979, Aurora became a separate province by virtue of Batas Pambansa No. 7.