text: Its foundation in 1595 makes Gapan the oldest town in Nueva Ecija and one of the oldest in the Philippines. It was likewise a big pueblo embracing an area as far as Cabanatuan in the north, which was its barrio with the name Cabanatuan before it separated in 1750: the Sierra Madres in the East, San Miguel, Bulacan in the south and Candaba, Pampanga in the West. Gapan, along with Aliaga, Cabiao, San Antonio and San Isidro were transferred to the province of Nueva Ecija in 1848. Most of the original settlers in Gapan were Tagalogs from Bulacan and Morong (Rizal Province) and Kapampangans; other early settlers came from Ilocos and Tayabas (now Quezon Province). Gradually as the Spanish power waned and economic progress caught up in the area, the pueblo disintegrated into many pueblos until it remained to comprise only the towns of Peñaranda, General Tinio and San Leonardo (formerly called Manikling) all of Nueva Ecija province. In fact the Patron Saint Divina Pastora had its origin or residence in Barrio Callos, Peñaranda. In 1982, the Gapan massacre occurred after the Marcos-controlled military killed a family, including children, in the town.
  Cityhood
  By virtue of Republic Act No. 9022 and its ratification in a plebiscite subsequently held on August 25, 2001, Gapan was converted into a component city of Nueva Ecija. Ernesto L. Natividad became the first city mayor of Gapan.
  Geography
  Gapan is located in the southern part of the province. It is bounded to the north by Peñaranda and San Leonardo, to the east by the Gen. Tinio, to the south by San Miguel in neighboring Bulacan province, and to the west by San Isidro.
  Gapan is  from Cabanatuan,  from Palayan, and  from Manila.
  Climate