In 1760, Catmon was established as an independent parish, whose patron saint was Santa Barbara and the settlement became a “pueblo” named after her.

In 1845, its population was 19,719 and it covered an area which are now the Municipalities of Maasin, Janiuay, Cabatuan, Alimodian, San Miguel, Zarraga, New Lucena and parts of Leganes and Pavia.

Governador–General Basilio Agustin organized the Volunteer Militia in Iloilo to enlist Ilonggos to fight the Tagalog rebels.

Being a “mestizo” and having occupied the highest office in his town, Martin Teofilo Delgado was appointed commander of the “voluntaries” in Santa Barbara.

The Revolutionary Government of the Visayas was organized and on November 17, 1898, was formally inaugurated at the town plaza of Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara became the headquarters of the Revolutionary Forces and from here, Gen. Delgado launched the campaign to liberate the whole province which culminated in the surrender of Iloilo City by Governor-General de los Rios on December 24, 1898.

[6] This marked the beginning of a 14-year period of one-man rule, historically remembered for its human rights abuses[7][8][9] One of the prominent torture-related deaths during this period was that of 2lt Pablo G. Fernandez, who objected to martial law, and as a result was caught, detained, and summarily executed at an unspecified "military camp in Santa Barbara"[10] Booming developments in Santa Barbara began after the opening of the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan in 2007, as Santa Barbara serves as a thoroughfare to Iloilo City.

The rolling hills, amounting to 155.99 hectares (385.5 acres), are unsuitable to farming and are utilized as pasture and open grassland.

Also included in this category are the areas utilized for commercial, institutional purposes, parks and open space.

The municipality is home to various large commercial establishments, including the newly opened Wilcon Depot, SUVIL Town Center, SM Savemore, and the upcoming Shophouse District.

The government center will also feature commercial areas, including business process outsourcing (BPO) companies and hotels.

There is a proposal to transfer the provincial capital from Iloilo City to Santa Barbara, as it is seen as a more strategic location for the whole province.

This move aims to accelerate further development in the metropolitan area outside Iloilo City, fostering growth and progress in the region.

Before, the plying of taxis in the municipality is an uncommon sight to most Santa Barbaranhon's but with the construction and operation of the New Iloilo Airport the town started progressing economically more and more every year.

In the past few years, there have been proposals for the revival of the defunct Panay Railways, which would include a train station in Santa Barbara.