At the end of the 17th century, Curitiba's agriculture was only for subsistence and its main economic activities were mineral extraction.
Waves of European immigrants arrived after 1850, mainly Poles, Italians, Germans (mostly from Russia) and Ukrainians.

Cattlemen drove their herds from Rio Grande do Sul to the state of São Paulo, turning Curitiba into an important intermediate trading post.

The Paranaguá-Curitiba railroad was opened in 1885.

Around the beginning of the 20th century, Curitiba benefited from the wealth of the yerba mate mills.
The owners (known as "barões da erva-mate") built mansions in the capital.
These have mostly been preserved in the districts of Batel and Alto da Glória.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Alfred Agache, co-founder of the French Society for Urban Studies, was hired to produce its first city plan.
It emphasized a "star" of boulevards, with public amenities downtown, an industrial district and sanitation.
It was followed in part, but the plan was too expensive to complete.
At the end of the 17th century, Curitiba's agriculture was only for subsistence and its main economic activities were mineral extraction. Waves of European immigrants arrived after 1850, mainly Poles, Italians, Germans (mostly from Russia) and Ukrainians.
Cattlemen drove their herds from Rio Grande do Sul to the state of São Paulo, turning Curitiba into an important intermediate trading post.
The Paranaguá-Curitiba railroad was opened in 1885.
Around the beginning of the 20th century, Curitiba benefited from the wealth of the yerba mate mills. The owners (known as "barões da erva-mate") built mansions in the capital. These have mostly been preserved in the districts of Batel and Alto da Glória.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Alfred Agache, co-founder of the French Society for Urban Studies, was hired to produce its first city plan. It emphasized a "star" of boulevards, with public amenities downtown, an industrial district and sanitation. It was followed in part, but the plan was too expensive to complete.
Curitiba