Gerona is one of the 17 towns of Tarlac Province, which is commonly referred to as the "Melting Pot of Central Luzon."  It is bounded on the north by Paniqui (7.5 km); on the east by the Municipality of Pura (5.8 km); on the south by Tarlac City (14.4 km), the central capital of the province; and on the west by Sta. Ignacia (19.3 km).  It is accessible by any kind of conveyance from all towns.  The Mac Arthur Highway cuts across right at the heart of the town.

It is about 73 km. from San Fernando, Pampanga, the Regional Center; around 50 km from Clark Special Economic Zone in Angeles City; and 139 km north of Metro Manila.

Gerona has an area of approximately 14,147 hectares of plain and rugged agricultural land representing 4.63% of the province total area.  It comprises forty-four (44) barangays.  The Tarlac River cuts across the West central areas, thus dividing the town into two geographical parts as follows:

The first part is the Eastern Area comprising of 31 barangays with total land area of 9,049.642 hectares representing 63.9% of the total area.  It is characterized as plain, low-lying agricultural land.

The second part is the Western Area comprising of 13 barangays with total area of 5,097.358 hectares representing 36.03% of the total land area.  It is characterized by hilly and rugged agricultural land and is also forested.

The main river traversing the municipality is the Tarlac River, which originates from the eastern slopes of the Zambales Mountain. back to top

population size and growth
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The 1995 Census on Population conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows that the municipality of Gerona, Tarlac has a population of 63,694; 8.30% of the municipality’s population is accounted for the urban area. 

The concentration of the town’s population is observed in the rural areas, which accounts for 91.70%, of the total population of the municipality.

However, based on the quick count result of the 2000 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the National Statistics Office, Gerona  has a population of 69,796. back to top

urban rural distribution
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The National Statistics Office (NSO) preliminary report of 1990 shows that the Municipality of Gerona, Tarlac is predominantly a rural area.  The urban areas of the municipality are as follows: Poblacions 1, 2, and 3.  It has a population of 5,030 or 8.46% of the total population of the municipality as against its rural population of 54,456 or 91.54% in the year 1990. There is a slight percentage change in the year 1995, which is 8.30% for the urban population and 91.70% for the rural population. back to top

dialect/languages spoken
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Based on the 1995 census, Gerona, Tarlac is predominantly an Ilocano speaking town. About 78.09% of the total household population speaks Ilocano, while Tagalog is spoken by about 12.59% of the population followed by Kapampangan with 8.83% then Bicol and Pangasinan with the same percentage of 0.08%. back to top

literacy rate
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The 1995 report of the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows that the literacy rate in the municipality of Gerona, Tarlac is 95.95%, which means that out of 56,334 population 5 year olds and over, 95.95% are literate, while 4.05% have no grade completed. back to top

peace and order situation
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Gerona is generally peaceful if the decreasing trend in the number of reported crimes is any indication.  For the year 2000 our local PNP has a efficiency rate of 100% and an arrest rate of 93%.  It is for this reason that our local PNP has been adjudged as best Municipal Police Station for three consecutive years from Year 1999 to 2001.

In our campaign for a drug free municipality, the Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Council thru the PNP were able to clear 11 barangays of illegal drugs. back to top