Greater Santiago del Estero-La Banda

Founded back in 1533, the city of Santiago del Estero had a paramount importance in the development of the Argentine Northwest (NOA, in Spanish), as one of the first towns in Argentina and due to its location on the road from the so-called Upper Perú (presently, Bolivia) to Buenos Aires. In the last decades, its process of growth and expansion paved the way for the development of the Greater Santiago del Estero-La Banda agglomeration, considered as an intermediate city in the urban national hierarchy at present. Due to its strategic position, it is a reference hub in the province and links rural and urban territories, being the center for rural-urban migration in the province’s interior. In 2010, the city ranked mid to high in terms of quality of life index, according to the national raking. Index distribution, according to census radii, showed strong contrast between different sectors that make up the agglomeration. While the historic center is a consolidated area featuring better living conditions for its inhabitants, the periphery shows opposite conditions, evidencing the vulnerability of large part of its dwellers.