Francistown was the centre of Southern Africa's first gold rush and is still surrounded by old and abandoned mines.

[6] The present town was founded in 1897 as a settlement near the Monarch mine and named after Daniel Francis, an English prospector from Liverpool who acquired prospecting licences in the region in 1869.

This street featured several companies, including two hotels (the Grand and the Tati), retail and wholesale shops, and three banks.

The miners were recruited from many African countries, and transported to South Africa through Francistown by air or railway.

Haskins Street (named after a prominent family in the town prior to independence) was the first tarred road in Botswana.

With the city located astride Botswana's main road and rail transport routes, mining, commerce and agriculture have been essential parts of its economy.

Tati Nickel, The Dumela Industrial Complex and Botswana Meat Commission are the main economic drivers in the city.

Francistown is located on Botswana's main air and road transport routes; mining and agriculture are important.

Francistown receives on average only 3 millimetres (0.12 in) of precipitation at the peak of its dry season (from June through August), which is also when it experiences its chilliest temperatures.

[10] Ever since the founding of Francistown as a gold mining and railway centre in the nineteenth century, the city's population has consistently shown a steady increase.

The Bakalanga, the second largest ethnic group in Botswana are traditionally centred around the town and the surrounding area.

[14][15] Francistown is home to the Supa Ngwao Museum, with exhibits related to the area's history and heritage.

A new nature reserve, Tachila, has been established 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from central Francistown on an old Tati Company Farm, Lady Mary.

The nature reserve is expected to be a tourism turn-over for the already flourishing city with its variety of wild animals.

[18] The Francistown College of Technical and Vocational Education was officially opened by former president of Botswana Ian Khama on 10 October 2008.

The college was built in order to accommodate 1,500 learners on technical and vocational courses and teacher-training programmes.

With a terminal building designated for traffic forecast of up to 2025, it has a larger capacity and has replaced the old airport, which is now used by the Botswana Defence Force's Air Arm.

[citation needed] The stadium will be the largest in the northern part of Botswana, with a capacity of 27,000 spectators, and will be home ground to some of the above teams.