Bacolod

Bacolod (Hiligaynon language: Dakbanwa sang Bacolod, Tagalog: Lungsod ng Bacolod) is a city in the Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidental. Having a total of 511,820 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region and the 17th most populous city of the Philippines. It is part of a metropolitan area called Metro Bacolod, which includes the cities of Silay and Talisay. It is notable for its famous MassKara Festival held during the 3rd week of October. Known for being a relatively friendly city, it bears the nickname "City of Smiles". Bacolod City recently ranked no. 1 in a survey by MoneySense Magazine as the "Best Place to Live in the Philippines". Bacolod ranks 3rd among the top ten "Next Wave Cities" of the Philippines for the best location for business process outsourcing and offshoring according to the 2010 report of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology.