', officially the ', is a 1st class of the Philippines| in the province of,. According to the, it has a population of people. The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway traverses this town, the exit of which is located in Barangay Manuali. With an area of, Porac is the largest town in Pampanga. It was once among the largest municipalities in the archipelago before it was divided into separate municipalities.
History
Porac was founded on October 31, 1594, upon acceptance by Fray Mateo Peralta in the Friar's Intermediate Chapter.
Geography
Porac is west from the provincial capitalSan Fernando, south of Angeles and north of Floridablanca. A portion of Mount Pinatubo is in the municipality. Porac has a hilly to mountainous terrain in the majority of its plains. Most rivers, if not all, are heavily silted by mudflow due to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo and succeeding lahar flows. Tourist spots include Darabulbul Falls in Jalung, Miyamit Falls in Sapang Uwak, and the hot springs of Sitio Puning, accessed through Sapang Bato in Angeles. Babo Pangulo offers a view of Porac and Mount Negron.
Barangays
Porac is politically subdivided into 29 barangays.
Climate
The town of Porac has two distinct climates, rainy and dry. The rainy or wet season normally begins in May and runs through October, while the rest of the year is the dry season. The warmest period of the year occurs between March and April, while the coolest period is from December through February.
Demographics
In the, the population of Porac, Pampanga, was people, with a density of.
Economy
Porac is an important source of granite and a tamping ground of minerals. Porac is home to the Mekeni Food Corporation, an "AAA" Meat Processing Plant accredited with the National Meat Inspection Service. Being classified under the "AAA" category, it is qualified to market its products, not just in the local, but in the international market as well. This means that it is compliant to all government regulatory requirements to assure food quality and safety in its operations. In 2014, Ayala Land and Leonio Land embarked on developing a mixed-used estate in Porac known as Alviera. The development project combines business, residential, recreational, leisure, and institutional. The local government dubbed Alviera as the regional growth center of Central Luzon. Now, it is a premiere tourist destination in the north.
Since the founding of the town of Porac in 1867, various Roman Catholic structures have been built in the area to aid in the religious practices of the devout Kapampangans. As of writing, three notable Spanish-era religious structures are extant within the municipality. The largest of the three, the Santa Catalina de Alejandria Church is located at Barangay Poblacion and still functions as one of Porac’s main parochial structures. The other two are currently utilized as barangay chapels.
The 1861 Pio Chapel is a circular chapel built by Don Felino Gil, founder of the Escuela de Artes y Oficios.
Hacienda Dolores Chapel
Another vintage chapel is located at Barangay Dolores, north of the Porac town proper. The Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel was said to be built by the Dolores family within the old Hacienda Dolores in 1856. The chapel, like the Pio chapel, is currently utilized as a community chapel. The chapel boasts of a slender octagonal belfry and Doric columns adorning the two-level façade. Notable features of the chapel are finials found on both levels of the façade.
Archaeology
The area in and around Babo Balukbuk in Porac has strong indications of human habitation, according to investigations published on the University of the Philippines Archaeological Studies Program website. Later test excavations confirmed this conclusion through the presence of materials dated around 12th century to 17th century C.E.
