Lipa City

Lipa City

The City of Lipa (Filipino: Lungsod ng Lipa) /Li-pâ/ is a first class component city in the province of Batangas in the Philippines. It is one of the three cities in Batangas (the others are Batangas City and Tanauan). It is located 78 kilometres (48 mi) south of Manila and, according to the 2007 census, has a population of 260,558 in 41,962 households. The city is in the center of Region IV, at the heart of Batangas Province.

Lipa City is bounded by the town of Santo Tomas in the northeast, San Pablo City of Laguna and San Antonio, Quezon in the east, the municipalities of Padre Garcia and Rosario in the southeast, the municipalities of Ibaan and San Jose in the southwest, the municipalities of Cuenca and Mataas Na Kahoy and Taal Lake in the west and the municipalities of Balete and Malvar in the northwest. The city's location, in a valley between Mount Malarayat and Mount Makulot, makes it a low-risk area for natural disasters. These two mountains serve as a windbreak during typhoons. Mount Makulot, in the west, also served as shield during eruptions of the Taal Volcano.

The city is named after a species of tree in the Urticaceae family, Dendrocnide meyeniana, known for the stinging Trichomes on its twigs.

Lipa City is a recreational, religious, commercial, industrial and educational center. Attractions include the Hotel la Corona de Lipa, Nestle Philippines, Lipa City Science High School, Canossa Academy Lipa, De La Salle Lipa, Lipa City Colleges, AMA Lipa, the Nazareth School, the San Sebastian Cathedral (seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lipa), The Mabini Academy (founded in 1922, the oldest school in Lipa City), the Carmelite convent, Robinson's Place (Lipa Mall), Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club, Summit Point Golf and Country Club and SM City Lipa Mall. The city is also home to the Fernando Air Base, former headquarters of the Philippine Air Force's 100th Training Wing and Air Education and Training Command (AETC), known in military circles as the Baguio of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) provide access to Batangas City and Metro Manila.