 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2011) |
Fauresmith | |
|---|---|
 Fauresmith main street with the railway line along the centre | |
  Fauresmith  Fauresmith  Fauresmith | |
| Coordinates: 29°45′S 25°19′E / 29.750°S 25.317°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Free State |
| District | Xhariep |
| Municipality | Kopanong |
| Established | 1849[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Xolile Mathwa [2] (ANC) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 53.2 km2 (20.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[3] | |
| • Total | 3,628 |
| • Density | 68/km2 (180/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 68.6% |
| • Coloured | 22.8% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.5% |
| • White | 7.8% |
| • Other | 0.4% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 61.2% |
| • Sotho | 15.5% |
| • Xhosa | 14.1% |
| • Tswana | 6.5% |
| • Other | 2.7% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 9978 |
| PO box | 9978 |
| Area code | 051 |
Fauresmith is located 130 km south west of Bloemfontein, South Africa. The town, named after Rev Phillip Faure and Sir Harry Smith, is the second oldest town in the Free State.
Fauresmith is the only town in South Africa, and one of only three in the world, where the railway line runs down the centre of the main road.
The town is well known in equestrian circles for the annual National Equestrian Endurance Race, during which the horses and riders must complete a grueling 205 km course during the three days of the event.
Winters are extremely cold with temperatures often below freezing.
- ^ Robson, Linda Gillian (2011). "Annexure A" (PDF). The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact (PhD thesis). University of Pretoria. pp. xlv–lii. hdl:2263/26503.
- ^ "Free State Tourism.org". Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
- ^ a b c d Sum of the Main Places Ipopeng and Fauresmith from Census 2011.