Buenavista, officially the Municipality of Buenavista (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Buenavista; Tagalog: Bayan ng Buenavista), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 68,892 people.^[3]

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Buenavista
Municipality
Municipality of Buenavista
Aerial view
Flag
Map of Agusan del Norte with Buenavista highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Buenavista Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 8°58′N 125°25′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Caraga
Province	Agusan del Norte
District	2nd district
Founded	January 1, 1937
Barangays	25 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Joselito T. Roble
• Vice Mayor	Atty Ramon Alejandro G. Bungabong
• Representative	Ma. Angelica Amante-Matba
• Municipal Council	Members Ruben A. Gonzaga Ferdinand G. Daguipa Charleston T. David Afro H. Arreza III Salvador L. Satorre Eduardo P. Makiling Rodrigo M. Luzon Roel T. Arobo
• Electorate	52,635 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	475.61 km2 (183.63 sq mi)
Elevation	18 m (59 ft)
Highest elevation	228 m (748 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	68,892
• Density	140/km2 (380/sq mi)
• Households	16,512
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	24.77 % (2018)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 271.9 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 611.5 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 272.4 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 186.1 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Agusan del Norte Electric Cooperative (ANECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	8601
PSGC	160201000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)85
Native languages	Agusan Butuanon Cebuano Higaonon Tagalog

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Adolfo Calo, a native of Butuan, along with some natives and Spaniards visited the place. They saw the village overlooking the sea and appreciated the beauty of nature in abundance. They exclaimed "Bien Vista", which means "Good View" thus the present name Buenavista.

This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2016)

The written history of Buenavista start in the year 1877. It was said that during this year a group of nomadic Manobo from the frontiers of Agusan found an ideal place for their tempora-fishing retreat and rendezvous.

Soon, the village of Tortosa was founded by two Christian pioneers, Innocentes Paler and Marcelo Dalaguida, who were later on joined by Luis Gupana and a handful of Manobo. Credited with a name to the village were a group of natives and Spaniards who visited the place to trade with the villagers and found the place to be abundant with the sea tortoise.

The fame of Tortosa as a good fishing was heard by the people of the neighboring Butuan. Thus a fresh wave migrants came to settle.

Later, Tortosa was renamed to Kihaw-an in memory of a white deer held sacred by the early inhabitants. It was said that this deer was found dead by the natives near the bank of the river which encircles the village. Its carcass was placed all over the village thus the village got the name Kihaw-an, a derivative of a local dialect "Baho-an", which literally mean "to smell", or "source of bad smell".

Soon the village got another new name. It was said that Adolfo Calo, a native of Butuan, together with some natives and Spaniards visited the place. They expanded their visits not only the coastal areas where flourishing because of the abundance of fish. At the top of the hill they saw the village overlooking the sea. They appreciated the beauty of nature in abundance. They exclaimed "Bien Vista", which means "Good View" thus the present name Buenavista.

Enticed by the abundance of fish and the good prospect for agriculture, a new wave migrants from the neighboring areas continued to flock to Buenavista. Between the years 1897–1907, settlers and their families were known to have settled in the place.

The only means of transportation was by banca or fishing boats, and by horseback trudging the small mountain trails. It was only sometime in the 1920s when Buenavista was connected to Butuan by means of road. It was also given power by the Marcon Electric Company of the Marcon family but later on, operation was taken over by the government-owned electric distribution facility.

Efforts of the pioneers paid off, because sometime in early 1920s, Buenavista was declared a regular barrio of the then Municipality of Butuan. As a barrio, Buenavista was able to form its own law-making body which was locally called Ang Tingug Sa Lungsod, whose members were known as podientes.

"Municipality of Buenavista"^[5] through the efforts of Assemblyman Apolonio D. Curato and Governor Jose R. Rosales, Commissioner of Mindanao and Sulu Teofisto Guingona Sr., and Secretary of the Interior, Elpidio Quirino, with a set of appointed officials to serve for a period of one year.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 475.61 square kilometres (183.63 sq mi) ^[6] constituting 17.42% of the 2,730.24-square-kilometre- (1,054.15 sq mi) total area of Agusan del Norte.

In the 2020 census, Buenavista had a population of 68,892.^[3] The population density was 140 inhabitants per square kilometre (360/sq mi).