São José do Rio Pardo is a municipality located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Situated at an elevation of 676 meters, the city covers a total area of 419 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 55,124 residents.
The settlement was founded in 1870 by Colonel Antônio Marçal Nogueira de Barros, who also oversaw the construction of a chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph that same year. It officially achieved municipality status in 1885 after being separated from the neighboring town of Casa Branca.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the region experienced significant immigration from northern Italy. These immigrants moved to the area to work in coffee fields to replace the slave workforce following the abolition of slavery in 1888 by an act of Princess Elizabeth.