"George - Four seasons in one day." a George Travel Page by Kurtdhis

At the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains, the town of George spreads across the narrowest point of the coastal plateau that is the Garden Route and Klein Karoo. Streams spring to life in the mountains above the town, becoming winding rivers coursing through forests before reaching quiet lakes, lagoons and the sea. Nature has provided an ideal setting for an abundance of outdoor activities with the added advantage of a mild climate all year round and low winter rainfall.

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Boasting a population of about 140 000, George is the geographical hub of business, administration and industry of the area. This vibrant city contributes significantly to the Southern Cape’s gross regional product, with the dominant sectors being agriculture, forestry, tourism and manufacturing. George provides a wide range of goods and services and excellent medical facilities. Tertiary education is offered at Saasveld, a satellite campus of the Port Elizabeth Technikon, the George College, the Southern Cape Technical Institute and a number of private colleges.

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The peaceful, safe country atmosphere of the town, combined with above average quality accommodation, has transformed the city into an accommodation giant in the Western Cape.
The area consists of a remarkable blending of mountains, rivers, indigenous and cultivated forests, colourful shrubs and wild flowers, glorious beaches and rich farmlands. All the modern conveniences of fine food restaurants, a wide variety of accommodation, impressive conference facilities, numerous shops and sophisticated air, road and rail links to all the major cities of South Africa, make George the ideal corporate and holiday destination.A popular retirement town, George is fortunate to have two of South Africa’s top 10 golf courses as well as numerous other sporting opportunities. The Links Golf Course, Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate, George has been awarded the 2003 Presidents Cup. The Resort Course will host this prestigious golf tournament from November 7 -10, 2002.Some 300 years ago, European settlers from the Cape Colony started traveled to this region and in 1713 the Cape government granted Dutch farmers the first grazing licences here. The Outeniqualand forests were the reason for the founding of George. In 1776 the Dutch East India Company established a woodcutters outpost on the site of what became George in 1811.

George is the only city in the Garden Route that can offer a full complement of accommodation of over 5200 beds, catering for every taste and pocket. The fact that the business center of George is situated about eight kilometres from the coast has favorably resulted in tariffs generally being lower than at the coast, thus making it an excellent value for money holiday base.

No wonder the Hottentots, who inhabited the district, named the area OUTENIQUA - 'man laden with honey' - which it still is. This makes it ideal from where to explore the area's many variant and diverse scenic wonders.