[6] Several rectangular peat dwelling structures, characteristic of the early Dorset culture, can be found around the wider Qaqortoq area.

Written records of South Greenland history begin with the arrival of the Norse in the late 10th century.

Except a few novel and exotic items found at Thule sites in the area, evidence suggests cultural exchange was initially sporadic.

Later, the south Greenland Norse adopted trade with the southern Inuit and were for a time the major supplier of ivory to northern Europe.

[7] The Thule culture Inuit arrived in southern Greenland and the Qaqortoq area around the 12th century and were contemporaneous with the Norse.

The present-day town was founded in 1775 by the Dano-Norwegian trader Anders Olsen, on behalf of the General Trading Company.

[10] The town became a major center for the saddle-back seal trade[11] and today remains the home of the Great Greenland sealskin tannery.

[12] The building was designed by royal Danish architect Kirkerup, pre-assembled in Denmark, shipped in pieces to Qaqortoq, and then reassembled.

Eighteen artists from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Greenland carved 24 sculptures into the rock faces and boulders in the town.

The issue was previously debated in 2007, when the Democrats opposed a Siumut landing strip proposal,[15] citing ecological and environmental concerns.

In contrast to the previous debates, presently the Democrats are lobbying for a 1,799-meter (5,902 ft) runway, making passenger flights to continental Europe possible.

A shorter, 1,199-meter (3,934 ft) runway, supported by the CEO of Air Greenland,[16] would enable flights with small turboprops to Iceland and eastern Canada.

Only one location, northwest of the town between Nuupiluk and Matup Tunua, would be suitable for a runway up to 2,100 meters (6,900 ft), in order to accommodate intercontinental flights.

[23] The 1500 meter runway is considered the shortest possibility, in terms of future economic development, especially within the tourism sector.

Fairly well trodden hiking trails lead north and west from the town, but for any motorized transportation all terrain vehicles are needed.

The port of Qaqortoq, situated close to the southern tip of Greenland, is an important cruise destination of the North Atlantic, having 30-40 calls per season, often large cruise ships transferring in late summer / early autumn from North Europe to the Caribbean.

Fish processing, tourism, tanning, fur production, and ship maintenance and repair are important activities, but the economy is based primarily on educational and administrative services.

[26] The native subsistence economy was long preserved by the former monopoly Royal Greenland Trading Department, which used the town as a source of saddle-back seal skins.

[29] The Tanbreez multielement project, situated less than 20 kilometers east of Qaqortoq, was granted an exploitation licence in 2020,[30] and a major mine is expected to be established within a few years.

During the summer of 2020, the unemployment rate in Qaqortoq was at 7%,[31] a rather high level compared to for instance Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.

[38] The three villages in Qaqortoq municipality – Eqalugaarsuit, Saarloq, and Qassimiut – also belong to the healthcare district of Napparsimavik Hospital.

[40] The Danish Crown Princely family visited the town as part of an official tour of Greenland in summer 2014.

[44] Thanks to its relative warmth compared to other settlements, few groves of trees can now thrive and survive under sheltered locations, making Qaqortoq one of the few Greenlandic towns able to sustain such an environment.

Winters are much milder than at much lower coastal parallels in continental North America due to the marine effect.