It is the fifth-largest city of Argentina after Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario and Mendoza and the most important of the northern region.

The Spanish conquistador Diego de Villarroel founded the city in 1565 in the course of an expedition from present-day Peru.

It is the commercial center of an irrigated area that produces large quantities of sugarcane, rice, tobacco, and fruit, giving the province its nickname, the Garden of the Republic.

This is due to the dryness of the season: daytime highs are close to those in the summer, when rainfall and clouds are persistent, whereas spring is often sunny and arid.

[3] However, some relief is possible after cold fronts from the south caused by Pampero winds which brings in cooler air.

The city was moved to "La Toma" (where the old town or casco histórico is placed today) in 1685, due to the low quality of Ibatín water.

Belgrano had been obliged to fall back to Córdoba by the government of Buenos Aires, but the inhabitants of Tucumán called on him to resist another Spanish invasion.

With his troops almost unarmed and tired but reinforced by local gauchos (calling themselvesLos decididos de Tucumán), Belgrano attacked the Spanish army from behind, defeating them and ensuring the Independence of Argentina.

During the first years of the 20th century, the city added 400 hectares (990 acres) for recreational uses, and the first great park (similar to those existing in Paris and London) was thus established.

The House of Government of Tucumán was built in Art Nouveau style at the end of 19th century.

After the Congress of Tucumán various people lived in the house and deterioration became visible over the years, which is clearly evident in the famous photo taken by Angel Paganelli in 1869.

Other notable buildings of San Miguel include the Teatro San Martín (with some elements in neoclassical style), and the Correo Central, made in a mix of styles and a tower inspired in the palaces of Florence (specially Palazzo Vecchio), the old Legislature, the Palace of Justice, the Casino (former Savoy Hotel, built in 1912), the birthplace of Nicolás Avellaneda, the Colegio Nacional Bartolomé Mitre and the Campo de las Carreras, where the battle of Tucumán took place and which is now an historical park.

It has been the birthplace and/or home of well-known personalities such as folk singer Mercedes Sosa, author Tomas Eloy Martínez, a professor at Rutgers University in the United States; musician Miguel Ángel Estrella, artist/architect Tomás Saraceno, painter Luis Lobo de la Vega, and many others.

Two large theatres (San Martín and Alberdi) and several smaller and independent theaters offer a wide array of events, including plays, concerts, operas, and ballet, all year round.

Since August 2008, the city has been the location of trials of high-ranking former military officers charged with war crimes from the 1976–83 dictatorship.

Luciano Menéndez, a former colonel, was convicted for crimes against humanity, including the kidnapping and disappearance of senator (Guillermo Vargas Aignasse) on the night of the golpe (coup) in 1976.

The convictions of Menéndez and Ricardo Bussi were the first of this round of prosecution of military leaders of the Jorge Rafael Videla dictatorship.

Their sentencings were seen as symbolic victories for the mothers and grandmothers whose children or husbands were "disappeared" by the military during that dark period of Argentine history.

Other important rugby clubs of the city are Natación y Gimnasia, Cardenales, Tucumán Lawn Tennis, Los Tarcos, amongst others.

The 30,000 m2 estación central de ómnibus (opened in 1994) is the point from where hundreds of bus services arrive from and depart to almost all of the largest and mid-size cities throughout the country.

Railway stations in San Martín de Tucumán: Notes: San Miguel de Tucumán is home to two free-to-air television stations (Channel 8 and Channel 10), four newspapers (La Gaceta, El Siglo, El Periódico, El Tribuno de Tucumán), three cable television companies (CCC, ATS, and TCC), and several radio stations.