Sheep farming, as many other places in Patagonia, was the main impetus for population settlements beginning in the late 19th century. Abundant rivers, the seacoast, and good pastures were some of the reasons that fueled population growth. Río Grande was founded on July 11, 1921, when the central government issued a decree recognising this locality as the "Agricultural Colony of Río Grande". In the beginning, the land was subdivided among a few families, owning large estates until the agrarian reform of 1925. Cattle raising became one of the most important economic activities in the area. To promote industrial development, Tierra del Fuego is excluded from VAT and federal income tax. As a result, several manufacturing companies, particularly those involving electronic products, have opened factories in this city. The population grew as a result of the television set production and assembly plants which opened in the 1980s, notably by ITT. One of the most rapidly growing sectors is the production of laptops and netbooks. These products were totally imported until 2006 but by 2010, and due to initiatives under the Kirchner administrations, 42% of the Argentine market for these goods was supplied by firms established in Río Grande and Vicente López. Portfolio investments announced in 2011 plan the production of 6.9 million units in Tierra del Fuego Province, principally in Río Grande. The city's population has grown rapidly since 1980. Many people have relocated from the northern parts of Argentina and from other countries, such as Bolivia, to work in factories that offer higher wages than other parts of Argentina. In 2014 a mob of some 300 vehicles blocked the escape of the support staff for the BBC Television program after they had already been attacked with eggs and stones in Tolhuin, which prompted everyone to move cross-country, leaving the main road. Arriving at the riverborder crossing, the crew were to illegally cross the border into Chile, which they were all able to do successfully.
Climate
Rio Grande's climate is strongly influenced by the ocean: generally quite cool, and sometimes very windy. It has a subantarctic climate or a subpolar oceanic climate depending on the isotherm used, with cool temperatures year round. It also closely borders on a cold semi-arid climate and a tundra climate. Temperatures in the warmest months, January and February average while temperatures in the coolest month average. With a mean temperature of in the coldest month, Río Grande has the coldest mean monthly temperature amongst cities in Argentina. Precipitation is low at around. Also, due to its latitude, the length of the day varies tremendously across the year. Winter days can have as few as seven hours of sunlight, while summer days stretch to seventeen hours. Frost occurs throughout the year, and winter temperatures can remain below freezing for relatively long periods of time. As such, the frost free period is very short with the first date of frost being February 23 and the last date of frost being November 22. During the summer, conditions are generally very windy and cloudy, and nights remain cold. Freak snowfalls can occur even in midsummer. The highest recorded temperature was on February 4, 2019. It is believed that this is the southernmost recorded instance where temperatures exceed. The lowest recorded temperature was on July 19, 1984.
