History
The history of San Miguel dates back to the 16th century when Gaspar Banda, assistant to the conquistador Diego de Almagro, created a hermitage to Saint Michael the Archangel in this territory in 1575. In 1881, the Iglesia de San Miguel Arcángel was built on the same site as the 1575 hermitage.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the place emerged as an agricultural area, with wheat, barley and wine plantations. The land was owned by Bernardo O'Higgins, liberator and father of the Chilean nation, who used it as his vacation home.
Ramón Subercaseaux brought wine strains directly from Bordeaux, France, and his wines acquired international prestige, notably at the Exposition Universelle of 1889 in Paris. His 1840 house is still preserved as a cultural center and is open to the public.
The commune of San Miguel was founded on August 10, 1896. At the beginning of the 20th century, the area began to be urbanized in the style of a European garden city, with large mansions, parks, squares and many trees in the streets. In later years, development followed a more middle-class urban style.
In the civic square in front of the city hall, a statue of José Miguel Carrera. The statue was designed by Auguste Dumont, the same sculptor who made the statue of Napoleon on the Vendôme Column in Paris.
Demographics
As of the 2024 census, the population is 150,829, of which 47.2% are male and 52.8% are female. People under 15 years old make up 15.6% of the population, and people over 65 years old make up 11.5%. 100% of the population is urban.
Historical population| Year | | |
|---|
| 1970 | 93,784 | — |
|---|
| 1982 | 88,764 | −0.46% |
|---|
| 1992 | 82,869 | −0.68% |
|---|
| 2002 | 78,872 | −0.49% |
|---|
| 2017 | 107,954 | +2.11% |
|---|
| 2024 | 150,829 | +4.89% |
|---|
| Source: INE, Memoria Chilena |
Chile
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