The first inhabitants of the area were the Carios Indians.
The Spanish Don Rodrigo de Acuña arrived on this coast in the year 1525, while escaping a storm at sea.
The first settlements date back to 1666 by Azorean settlers sent by the Portuguese Empire.
In 1846, the Provincial Assembly allowed the construction of the church, a cemetery and the rectory.
This encouraged the development of Garopaba and it was elevated to a town in the year 1890.
On December 19, 1961, it was emancipated as a municipality, when it was separated from Palhoça.
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