Brief History of Anao

The area occupied by the municipality was formerly a part of Pangasinan Province. In the early days, the region where the municipality is situated were forest, swamps, creeks and grasslands. When Tarlac Province was created during the Spanish Regime, the area became a part of Tarlac Province.

The area where Anao is located was inhabited before 1800 by people from the Ilocos Region. The immigration continued from years after years. In the year 1835, a group of immigrants from Paoay, Ilocos Norte reached the region and first settled near a creek on the bank where there were balete trees. These immigrants called their settlement Balete. The immigrants found that the region where they settled has many agricultural prospects and this attracted more immigrants who came from the north, especially from the town of Paoay. The settlement expanded and became a barrio named Balete which later changed to Barrio Anao deriving authentically from the Ilocano word “Danao” which means creek. By that time then, balete trees were extinguished and the barrio was adjacent in all directions by creeks. Paniqui then stood as one Municipality and had a road extended toward the east to Barrio Anao. Paniqui had more rights to claim Anao as its Barrio and the people of the barrio accepted the claim.

Years went by and Barrio Anao expanded. A petition was made and approved that Barrio Anao be made a Municipality. This was in the year 1870. Revolution came. The Municipality could not maintain its need so it became a barrio again of its mother municipality.
In the year 1899, a petition was again made and approved that Anao be made again a municipality as a seventh class. During the Spanish time, a head of a municipality was called Capitan Municipal.