The town is home to a variety of ethnic groups, including Italian, German, Portuguese, Japanese and Afro-Brazilians.

The town is also known for its wines, such as Villa Francioni, Joaquim, Quinta da Neve, Núbio and Suzin, which are reaching international recognition, especially in East Asia.

At 1,360 metres (4,462 ft) above sea level, São Joaquim[3]) has one of the highest city halls in the country.

[10] Due to its altitude above 3280 ft (1000 m) and a few degrees below the tropics, the city has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb) modified for precipitation sufficiently moist in every month, more abundant throughout the year (usually more evenly distributed than in Campos do Jordão), with cool summers and low temperatures in winter, but not below freezing.

[11] Winter precipitation can occur at crucial times in the season, but tend not to be plentiful and cumulative, except on a few occasions.

[12] Together with Urupema, Urubici, Bom Jardim da Serra and São José dos Ausentes, São Joaquim is considered the coldest city in Brazil if the maximum average temperature and the number of cold hours are considered (loses to Urupema and Bom Jardim in absolute minimums).

[24] According to data from the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), from 1961 to 1983, 1988 to 1989, 1991 to 1998 and from 2000 to 2017, the lowest temperature recorded in São Joaquim (conventional station) was -10 °C (15.8 °F) on August 2, 1991.

[31] São Joaquim is one of the few Brazilian cities where snow is relatively common every year, which makes it a tourist destination.

[34] Studies show the increase of the precipitation frequency with the warm phase of the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and its decrease during the El Niño and La Niña episodes.

The average is 2.7 days per year in São Joaquim (value close to that of Greenville in the USA) with the majority coming from polar anticyclones with an extratropical cyclone.

[35] The maximum gap in the monthly range of snowfall was between April and October, i.e. between autumn and the first weeks of spring, considering the years 1980 to 2013.

In descending order July and August are the snowiest months, period most affected by cold air masses.