"[5] Its strategic location along the Cagayan Valley Road has made the city a major economic, educational, medical, entertainment, shopping, and transportation center in Nueva Ecija and nearby provinces in the region such as Tarlac, Aurora, and Bulacan.

Cabanatuan was founded as a Barrio of Gapan in 1750 and became a Municipality and capital of La Provincia de Nueva Ecija in 1780.

[8] During World War II, the occupying Japanese built Cabanatuan Prison Camp, where many American soldiers were imprisoned, some of whom had been forced to endure the infamous Bataan Death March.

In January 1945, elements of the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion and two teams of Alamo Scouts marched 30 miles (48 km) behind enemy lines to rescue the prisoners in what became known as the Raid at Cabanatuan.

Before long, the combined Philippine Commonwealth and American armed forces, in cooperation with local guerrilla resistance fighters and Hukbalahap Communist guerrillas,[citation needed] had liberated Central Luzon from Japanese Imperial forces, a campaign that lasted from January until August 1945.

In 1957, the barrios of Mataas na Kahoy, Balangkare Norte, Balangkare Sur, Sapang Kawayan, Magasawang Sampaloc, Talabutab Norte, Talabutab Sur, Platero, Belen, Pecaleon, Piñahan, Kabulihan, Pasong-Hari, Balaring, Pulong Singkamas, Panaksak, Bravo, Sapang Bato, Burol, Miller, Tila Patio, Pula, Carinay, and Acacia were separated from Cabanatuan and constituted into a separate and independent municipality known as General Mamerto Natividad.

In 1998, Cabanatuan was declared by then-president Fidel V. Ramos as a highly urbanized city however it failed ratification after the majority of votes in the plebiscite was negative.

Cabanatuan was declared as a highly urbanized city by President Benigno S. Aquino III under Presidential Proclamation No.

Incumbent Governor Aurelio Matias Umali, who had a strong voter base in the city, opposed the conversion and submitted a petition to the Supreme Court.

[12] On April 23, 2014, voting 9–5–1, the Supreme Court granted a petition for certiorari filed by Nueva Ecija Gov.

[14] Cabanatuan was near the epicenter of the infamous 1990 Luzon earthquake, which registered a 7.8 on the surface wave magnitude scale, at roughly 3 pm on July 16, 1990.

Unlike in Baguio, local and international journalists were able to arrive at Cabanatuan hours after the tremor, and media coverage of the quake in its immediate aftermath centered on the collapsed school, where rescue efforts were hampered by the lack of heavy equipment to cut through the steel reinforcement of fallen concrete.

The 2013 Typhoon Santi brought extreme winds measuring up to 120 km/h, causing widespread infrastructure damages and power loss to the city.

Later in 2015, Typhoon Lando caused massive damage in the form of severe flooding in Central Luzon, including Cabanatuan.

There are three other major Catholic structures located within the city: the Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, the Carmelite Sisters Convent and the Maria Assumpta Seminary.

Iglesia ni Cristo also maintains a sizable presence in Cabanatuan with its large house of worship in Barangay Zulueta that seats up to 3,000 people.

[34] Although Cabanatuan does not have significant manufacturing industries, its dynamic service and agricultural sectors drive the economy forward.

The NFA warehouses in the city play an important role in regulating Nueva Ecija's burgeoning rice industry.

Vista Estates has recently planned to build Verterra Residences, Nueva Ecija's first condominium development and one of the Philippines' first "Urban Green Hubs," near Camella Cabanatuan.

[43] However, the plan has since been scrapped due to the backlash from groups that were against the decision to build it in the site of Nueva Ecija's Old Provincial Capitol.

Several local and international restaurants, fast-food chains, bakery and coffee shops are also located in the city.

The city has many bus companies operating provincial and regional routes, with the Cabanatuan Central Transport Terminal serving as the terminus.

Almost all types of public road transport plying Cabanatuan are privately owned and operated under government franchise.

The highway links Cabanatuan to Baler, Aurora, passing through rural towns in eastern Nueva Ecija.

Burgos Avenue and Del Pilar Street both serve as the city's main thoroughfare in the downtown area.

The old Cabanatuan Railway Station is located at Barangay General Luna and is converted to a daycare center with the original structure remaining.

It will shorten the usual travel time between the neighboring provinces and Cabanatuan, also stimulating the economy of the towns that the carriageway will pass through as a direct consequence.

[48] Central Luzon Link Expressway from Tarlac City to San Juan, Aliaga was opened early 2024.

During the early 2000s to decongest the Pan-Philippine Highway and to spur new developments outside the downtown area, two bypass roads were constructed in Cabanatuan.

A Unified Command Center (UCC) for the city's traffic light system is currently under construction at 25 major intersections.