From about 1743 the District of Swellendam stretched all along the southern coast of the Cape Colony without an eastern border. By and by, however, it became too big to administrate effectively and in 1808 the governor of the Cape, the Earl of Caledon, requested permission from the Colonial Secretary in London to increase the number of magisterial districts. Nearly three years later, a new Drostdy was proclaimed further east and called George after King George III.
In June 1811, erven were granted to six local logger families and the town of George was born, built with timber hewn from the surrounding woods. Adriaan van Kervel, the magistrate, laid out the wide streets with the rows of oak trees along them and on 8th October 1811 thirty plots were sold by public auction.
In 1837 George Town became a municipality. Apart from being an administrative centre, George played an important part in the timber industry with almost all kinds of hard and softwoods being harvested. When the devastation finally became apparent even to the authorities, in 1896 a nursery was established at Witfontein for the sole purpose of replenishing the denuded woods. This was done mainly with pine trees which still grow in abundance in some areas around the town, although many are now being cleared. 1932 saw the birth of a training station for foresters at Saasveld near George.
Agriculture of the surrounding land include dairy farming, cultivation of vegetables and the growing of hops for the beer brewing industry. George is especially known for its wealth of wild flowers, and the red George lily (Cyrtanthus elatus), which is unique to the southern Cape, figures prominently on the George municipal logo.
Fancourt, one of the first golf estates in South Africa, regularly hosts international tournaments, making George the golf capital of the Southern Cape, if not the country.
Another pastime enthusiastically practiced is horseriding and the George Riding Club caters for all disciplines, with a riding school and regular dressage and eventing competitions on national level. Culturally George is no slacker and drama clubs and art societies abound.
Shopping in George is a pleasure, with a variety of centres and of course the huge mall just outside town. On any given day one can also browse the numerous colourful stalls and wares on display on the sidewalks of the main streets.
George can be said to be the most progressive town in the Southern Cape and its cleanliness and beautiful environment make it well worthy of its claim to being the capital of the region.
The old municipal building.
© Robert I. Sadler, 2004