History
Virtually nothing is known of Escalante during the pre-Hispanic era. But archaeological findings in October 1975 and May 1976 made by a team of Anthropology students led by Professor Lionel Chiong of Silliman University reveal early record of men who inhabited not only the present city but also the island of Negros during the Pre-Spanish time. The findings were recovered in nine (9) graves in what seemed to be an ancient burial ground in Brgy. Japitan, a coastal barangay lying along the Tañon Strait, facing the island of Cebu, some 17 kilometers from the city proper. The artifacts consists of celadon plate and bowls, stoneware bowls and jars, a Sung Dynasty (960-1280 A.D.) jarlet, gold beads, iron implements, daggers and a hunting knife with ivory bone handle. Obviously buried with the dead, the plate, bowls, jars and iron implements were found alongside the skeletal remains, the daggers and hunting knife on top of the breast section, and the gold beads inside the skulls in-between the upper and lower jaws. When carbon-14 tested, these findings together with the human skeletal remains were found to date as far back as the 12th century A.D. All this prove that this part of the island now known as Escalante was inhabited by settlers with a relatively developed culture who were engaged in some form of trade and commerce with the outside world, such as the Chinese traders who could have brought the jarlet, stoneware and celadon pieces during the Ages of Contacts and Trade with the East (11th & 12th centuries A.D.)
Population/ Language/ Area
Escalante City, which is mainly consist of sugarcane farms and lowland hills with a little urban area, has a total land of 192.76 km2 (74.43 sq mi).
The city is located in the northeastern part of Negros Occidental Province in Western Visayas Region. It is bounded on the north and west by Sagay City, on the east by the Visayan Sea and on the south by the town of Taboso. Escalante can reached by air via Bacolod-Silay International Airport or by sea. It has a total land area of 192.7 square kilometers and is composed of 21 barangays.
Products and Services
Local products of Escalante City is mainly sugar cane. These harvested sugar canes are transferred to the nearest sugar plantations to extract the sugar from it. Sugars are also shipped to the provinces and cities in the country. There are also rice and corn products in the city.
Business Opportunity
The city offers opportunities in food processing especially sugar-based foods, meat and fish processing. The manufacture of furniture, clothing and fashion accessories, jewelry, personal care and other consumer goods are encouraged. The establishment of commercial complexes and tourist facilities are welcomed in this city.