Despite its agricultural economy, it is one of the progressive municipalities in the province of Davao del Sur. Legend has it that Bansalan got its name from a Bagobo chieftain (datu) named "Dansalan" whosetribal folks were the original inhabitants of the place. A so-called reporting error by the early surveyors transposed the name to Bansalan and somehow became the official name on record. Bansal
an is also previously called Miral and some local folks still refer to this former name. Visitors to this rustic town would notice that in public transportation the signboard still says Miral instead of Bansalan. Bansalan is about 72 kilometers south of Davao City and is very accessible by land transportation mostly by buses going to Cotabato City, Kidapawan City, and Tacurong. Bansalan is about 12 kilometers northwest of the capital city of Digos. Her neighboring towns include Makilala, North Cotabato in the north, Magsaysay, Davao del Sur (formerly called Kialeg) in the west, Matanao, Davao del Sur in the south, Mt. Apo and parts of Digos City in the east. Its geographical coordinates are 6° 47' 10" North, 125° 12' 48" East. The town of Bansalan has been recently classified as a first class municipality by the Department of Finance which means its income level exceeds 50 million pesos annually. According to the May 1, 2010 data of the National Statistics Office, Bansalan has a population of 56,496 people in its 25 barangays. Agriculture is the major source of income for this town. Bansalenos grow rice, corn, banana, fruit trees, coconut, sugar cane in the lowlands. Coffee, vegetables and fruits are grown in the colder highlands of Mt. Bansalan is also keeping up with the times in terms of technology. It has access to cable television, internet, and cell phone sites. It may not be at par with the big cities but it's getting there. Gone are the days when radio was the only source of mass media communications.
