In the early 19th century, a then unnamed creek was used by women to wash the clothes of their clients. The women performed their labor in an area with high and extensive dunes filled with reeds and small holes known as cachimbas.

The creek became known as “de los pocitos” (of the little holes) and the area became populated. In 1886, the town Nuestra Señora de los Pocitos was founded. The area was already becoming one of the favorite beaches for Montevideo’s upper class who wanted to escape the big crowds at nearby Ramírez beach. A house pulled tram played a fundamental role in the area’s growth.

By the end of the 19th century, Pocitos was the top beach town in South America, with many high society Uruguayans and Argentines visiting every summer. Various villages sprang up near Pocitos and the inauguration of the electric streetcar in the early 20th century led many more people to inhabit the town, which grew extensively in the first half of that century.

Later, large buildings were constructed where the typical country houses had been. The beach town eventually became a neighborhood without losing its prestigious and exclusive status. Today, Pocitos has kept its relative independence from the rest of the city.

The neighborhood, one of the most expensive and densely populated in the city, is inhabited almost exclusively by the upper middle and upper classes.