Quezon City: What it’s known for

Quezon City. It’s a place that’s often confused with a province in Region 4 that bears the same name. While Filipinos might not be as confused with Quezon Province and Quezon City, expats are always left scratching their heads as to why two places will have the same name.

MAP OF QUEZON CITY. Image grabbed from Google Maps.

Before we get into what the title says, here are a few facts about Quezon City that you may not have previously known:

• It wasn’t meant to be called Quezon City. It would’ve been Balintawak City, named after the “Cry of Balintawak” on Aug. 23, 1896, had it not been for the proposal of Assemblymen Narciso Ramos and Eugenio Perez for the city to be named after then-President Manuel L. Quezon.
• It was once the capital of the Philippines. Before the prestigious title was given to Manila, Quezon City was the designated capital of the country after WWII, specifically from 1948 to 1976. It was moved to Manila by President Ferdinand Marcos by way of Presidential Decree No. 824.
• There are either 6 or 9 districts in Quezon City. Depending on who you’re talking to, the city has either 6 (legislative) or 9 (tourism) districts. The tourism districts are: Civic Center, Lifestyle, Knowledge, Eastwood, Cubao Growth, Q.C. Chinatown, Maginhawa Food, Entertainment, La Loma
• It’s the largest city in the country, both by area and population. It’s so big, it has had its own police district (QCPD) from Day 1 instead of the usual directional police district (i.e. Northern, Southern, and Eastern). Manila is the only other city to have a police district named after it (though it used to be called the Western Police District).

How to get there

As with any city within the National Capital Region, getting to and around Quezon City isn’t a puzzle. You can ride the MRT and alight at North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, GMA-Kamuning, or Cubao Station, depending on where you’re going. You can also take a bus from any point in Metro Manila to most areas in Quezon City.

Also read: Makati: What it’s known for

Here are a few things the city fondly called QC is known for:

Home to Government Offices

Government offices are scattered throughout the country, but it seems like there’s one at every corner in Quezon City. Here’s a short list of government offices within QC:

• Commission on Audit
• House of Representatives
• Office of the Ombudsman
• Sandiganbayan (Anti-Graft Court)
• 6 cabinet departments

“City of Stars”

If you’ve been in the country long enough (or were born Filipino), you should know that most of the country’s biggest names live in Quezon City. We can’t exactly say where they live, but rest assured they’re no more than a 15-20 minute drive away from the country’s two biggest TV networks: ABS-CBN (located at Mother Ignacia St.) and GMA (located along Timog Ave.).

The best place for a food crawl

You’ve been living under a rock if you’ve never heard of Maginhawa Street. Known as the Food District of QC, you’ll find some of the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Metro Manila along this street in Teacher’s Village, Diliman.

Seat of Knowledge

… or more likely a producer of some of the best minds the country has seen. QC is home to two of the country’s top universities: Ateneo De Manila University in Katipunan and the University of The Philippines – Diliman, the flagship campus of the country’s premier state university. Yes, Manila may have its U-belt, but does it also have the country’s premier science high school: Philippine Science High School (Agaham Road, Diliman)?

The Big Dome

Image grabbed from Wikimedia Commons

QC wouldn’t be the same without mentioning one of the country’s premier events venues, the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Fondly called “The Big Dome”, it’s been home to some of the biggest events in the country, including the Thrilla in Manila: Ali-Frazier III and the Finals of the Philippine Basketball Association. It was once Asia’s largest dome with a diameter of 108 meters, surpassed only in 2001 by the Oita Stadium in Japan.

Quezon Memorial Circle

Image grabbed from Wikipedia

Originally pegged as the site of the National Capitol building, it’s the city’s most important park and (possibly) one of the largest parks in the country. It houses the remains of former President Manuel L. Quezon and his wife Aurora Aragon Quezon. Apart from the trylon monument that symbolizes the country’s three main islands, it’s also home to an amusement park, three museums, and a vast recreation space.

Got anything else you might know that makes QC stand out? Hit us up in the comments section.