Roaming South America

San Rafael, Argentina

November 23, 2024

San Rafael, Argentina, is not a historically old city, and doesn't have any notable colonial architecture left. But it is a pleasant place to visit for a day. The town has a population of around 100,000. The city streets throughout the center and downtown areas have wide and very wide sidewalks and lots of tree lining both sides of the streets, and that goes on through most of the city. There are some nice parks and plazas and a few parks that need attention.

San Rafael was founded in 1805, but the Spaniards first surveyed the area in the mid-1500s. When the Spaniards came into the region the immediately subdued the indigenous people, the Coquimbo and Diaguita groups. Another group, called Pehuenches, did not surrendor so easily and fought back until they eventually gave up and ceded land to the Spaniards in 1804. In 1805, the Spaniards completed construction of their Fort San Rafael del Diamante, and that marked the formal establishment of San Rafael.

The new town remained mostly secluded from the rest of the country until the higher-ups in the Capital discovered just how good its area was for agriculture. In 1871, they sent a civil engineer to San Rafael to oversee the development of the new city. His work was centered around public works, which included civic buildings, schools, plazas, a hospital, cathedral and irrigation canals. The irrigation canals were accompanied by an agricultural laboratory and a group of agronomists and, by 1900, the San Rafael area fruit orchards had attracted many Italian and French immigrants.

By 1903, the railways reached San Rafael, and with that came new growth, new industries, and the designation of San Rafael as a "city" in 1922. In 1953, a hydroelectric dam was built on the Atuel River, and in 1984 a new hydro-dam was built on the Diamante River. The city also has an auto-racing track that has hosted the countries top-level TC-2000 Touring Car races.

The summers, November through February, see an average daily high temp of about 30° C (86° F), and the winters see a daily average high of 8 or 9° C (around 46° F). So, if you like four seasons this might be a good place to visit. For me, I don't like four seasons, just give me summer and maybe spring.