[5] Our Lady of the Abandoned is the patroness of Valencia, and her feast day is celebrated annually every October 12 with the town fiesta.

Valencia was originally named Ermita, which means "a secluded place", due to its being a refuge from marauding Muslim pirates.

The region is also the most critical watershed area of Negros Oriental, providing abundant drinking water to Valencia and its neighboring municipalities.

Major products include abaca, copra, corn, flowers, vegetables, root crops, and exotic fruits such as lanzones and rambutan.

Valencia, specifically, has a 20-megawatt Palinpinon 2 Geothermal Optimization Project in Sitio Nasuji, Barangay Puhagan, 35 kilometers from Dumaguete.

Because Palinpinon is such a big source of geothermal energy, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said it received P 250 million in royalties, applied for livelihood, education, related projects, and also for the 50% subsidy on Valencia electric bills consumers.

It stands at the foot of Mount Talinis and marks the spot where the combined Filipino and American troops including the Negrosanon guerrilla units fought the Japanese Imperial Army toward the end of World War II.