Bethlehem, South Africa

Bethlehem is a city in the eastern Free State province of South Africa, set in a fertile valley on the Liebenbergs River north of the Rooiberg mountains at an altitude of about 1,700 meters. Founded in 1864 and named after the biblical Bethlehem, meaning house of bread in Hebrew, in recognition of its wheat farming heritage, the city briefly served as the seat of the Orange Free State government during the Second Boer War in 1900. The 2011 census recorded 16,236 residents, and Bethlehem has since become one of the fastest growing cities in the Free State, functioning as a regional retail, medical and educational hub with operations from companies including Coca-Cola, South African Breweries and Nestle.