The City of San Fernando, Pampanga is a gateway to the North, strategically located in the heart of Central Luzon. It is 67 kilometers north of Metro Manila, 16 kilometers south of Clark Freeport Zone and Clark International Airport, and 50 kilometers east of Subic Freeport Zone. It is bounded by Angeles City on the northwestern side, and the municipalities of Mexico, Bacolor, and Sto. Tomas on the north-eastern, south-western, and south-eastern portions, respectively. The City of San Fernando serves as the provincial capital of Pampanga and the administrative center of Central Luzon, accommodating the regional offices of the government’s line agencies.

The predecessor Municipality of San Fernando was founded in in 1754 and originally included the present-day towns of Bacolor and Mexico. In 1904, it was declared as the capital of Pampanga.

San Fernando then became the 99th City of the Republic of the Philippines on February 4, 2001 by virtue of Republic Act 8990. Presently, the City is subdivided into thirty-five (35) urban barangays with an aggregate land area of 6,774 hectares.