It was founded in 1904 by a city decree (decreto) and was named 'La Paternal' after the train station in the neighbourhood, a former industrial zone.

La Paternal neighbours the following barrios: Agronomía, Chacarita, Villa Crespo, Villa General Mitre, Villa Santa Rita and Caballito.

Primarily a residential quarter, it has mostly condos and single-family homes, and a shopping district on its main venue, Avenida San Martín.

The barrio is traditionally associated with Argentinos Juniors football team, whose social headquarters is at the northern part of the neighbourhood.

This article about a location in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina is a stub.