Naga City, Province of Camarines Sur, Bicol Region, Philippines

🇵🇭 Naga, officially known as the City of Naga (Syudad nin Naga; Syudad ka Naga; Lungsod ng Naga) or the Pilgrim City of Naga, is a 1st class independent component city in the Bicol Region of the Philippines.

The town was established in 1575 by order of Spanish Governor-General Francisco de Sande. The city, then named Ciudad de Nueva Cáceres (New Cáceres City), was one of the Spanish royal cities in the Spanish East Indies, along with Manila, Cebu, and Iloilo, the third oldest to be exact.

Geographically and statistically classified, as well as legislatively represented within Camarines Sur, but administratively independent of the provincial government, Naga is the Bicol Region's trade, business, religious, cultural, industrial, commercial, medical, educational, and financial centre.

Naga is known as the "Queen City of Bicol" due to the historical significance of Naga in the Bicol Region; as the "Heart of Bicol", due to its central location on the Bicol Peninsula; and as the "Pilgrim City", as Naga is also the destination of one of the largest Marian pilgrimages in Asia to the shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, an image that is one of the country's most popular objects of devotion. Naga is also known as "One of the Seven Golden Cities of the Sun" as stated by Nick Joaquín.

The city is the seat of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Cáceres, which includes all the suffragan sees of Bicol.

It is one of the two Philippine cities named Naga, the other being Naga in Cebu.

Economy Naga is the Bicol Region's centre of commerce and industry. Strategically located at the heart of Bicol, Naga is the trade centre in Bicol for goods from Visayas and Manila.

Naga is cited as one of the "Most Business-Friendly Cities in Asia", is considered to be one of the Philippines's Top-10 cities, and is a "most competitive city" of the Philippines. Some entrepreneurs cited the city as the most business-friendly in the region.

Business districts Downtown Naga is located in the southern part of the city. It is bordered on the north by the Naga University Belt and on the south by the historical Naga City Peoples Mall or simply Naga City Community Supermarket. It encompasses the three plazas of Naga: The Plaza Quince Martires, The Plaza Quezon, and the Plaza Rizal, which is the centre of Central Business District 1 (CBD-1). Downtown Naga is the location of local businesses that sell local delicacies and native products from neighbouring municipalities and provinces.

A second business district is located along Panganiban Drive and Roxas, Ninoy, and Cory avenues. It is also the location of 3 shopping complexes, a bus terminal, and the Camarines Sur Industrial and Technological Park, which houses several business process outsourcing offices.

South Riverfront growth area South Riverfront is composed of the whole of Barangay Sabang except those areas that are socialized housing sites or are otherwise excluded by the Naga City land-use plan for commercial or industrial development. It is bordered by CBD-1 (to the east), the Naga River, and the town of Camaligan, Camarines Sur.

Magsaysay district The main road in the city is Magsaysay Avenue, or Boulevard, which runs from Bagumbayan Road (Naga-Calabanga–Siruma–Garchitorena–Partido North Road), connecting it to Magsaysay district, where accommodations and restaurants catering to travellers are found. Businesses are open until late at night, with some shops open 24/7. Naga also has its share of fastfood restaurant chains. The city hall and several provincial offices are also located in the district, around the Peñafrancia Basilica.

Banking and finance In 2017, the banks in the city numbered around 66, excluding Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The city hosts the regional bank offices of Banco De Oro, Philippine National Bank, Development Bank of the Philippines, Metrobank, RCBC, Allied Bank, China Banking Corporation, Philtrust Bank, UnionBank of the Philippines, Philippine Veterans Bank, Asia United Bank, Maybank, Bank of Commerce, East West Bank, Bank of Makati, Bank of the Philippine Islands, and the Philippine Postal Savings Bank.

Shopping malls SM City Naga is one of the largest and most-visited shopping malls in the Bicol Region. Robinsons Place Naga opened in 2017. Nagaland E-Mall is in Downtown Naga. LCC Central Mall Naga is located on Felix Plazo Street. Gaisano Mall Naga is near the Bicol Medical Center. The Vista Mall is located on Maharlika Highway, in Barangay Del Rosario. There are two Puregold supermarkets in Naga. Avenue Square is the region's first "lifestyle center", built in 2005 along Magsaysay Avenue. There are also leisure hubs in the city, the majority being along Magsaysay Avenue, since that street is the centre of nightlife in the region.

IT–Business Process outsourcing Naga was cited as one of the best places to conduct information technology–business process outsourcing (IT–BPO) activities in the Philippines.

The city currently has three IT parks—Naga City IT Park, Camarines Sur Industrial and Technological Park, and Naga City Technology Center.

IBM leased their own client innovation centre in front of SM City Naga.