During the Chu-Han contention, Liu Bang shortened his title to the King of Han (漢王), and later used it as the name of his imperial dynasty.

As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,211,462, of whom 1,084,448 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Hantai and Nanzheng districts.

The Book of Documents refers to an area called Liangzhou (梁州), while Sima Qian's book Records of the Grand Historian speaks of a "Bao state" (褒國, where the ancient beauty Bao Si came from), both of which are believed to refer to the area now called Hanzhong.

The ancient geographical treatise entitled Shui Jing Zhu records that Duke Huan of Zheng, a vassal lord from the Western Zhou dynasty, was slain in a battle with the nomadic Quanrong people, and some of the Zheng citizens fled the capital to establish a new settlement to the south, giving rise to the area's name.

In 206 BC, after the victory at Gaixia, Liu Bang named his imperial dynasty after his native district, as was customary.

Zhang Lu, supported by followers of a Taoist sect, Way of the Celestial Masters, led an independent theocratic government in Hanzhong.

Ruins and landmarks of the Three Kingdoms era remaining in Hanzhong include the tomb of the Shu Han chancellor Zhuge Liang.

In 784, when the capital, Chang'an (modern Xi'an) was captured, the Emperor Dezong of Tang fled to Hanzhong.

During the Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127), however, Hanzhong became economically wealthy with city tax revenue just behind that of regional capitals such as Kaifeng and Chengdu.

The Wanli Emperor (r. 1572-1620) installed his fifth son, Zhu Changhao (Chinese: 朱常浩), as king of Hanzhong.

Since then, a 13.6 m section has been rebuilt on the eastern end of Sanpu Street (Chinese: 伞铺街; pinyin: Sǎnpù Jīe).

In 1643, Zhu Changhao fled south to Sichuan ahead of Li Zicheng's rebel army.

The governance of Hanzhong, including the municipal executive, the legislature and the judiciary are located in Hantai District (汉台区).

The coordinates of the city's prefecture ranges in latitude from 33° 02' to 33° 22' N and in longitude from 106° 51' to 107° 10' E. It covers 27,246 square kilometres (10,520 sq mi).

The Wuchiapingian Age in the Permian Period of geological time is named from Wuchiaping (from Chinese: 吴家坪; pinyin: Wújiāpíng; lit.

Hanzhong Airport provides air access to Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Shenzhen with daily flights to each.