The city is a popular holiday and conference centre, as well as the administrative and commercial hub and the seat of the Garden Route District Municipality.

In 1777 the Dutch East India Company established an outpost for the provision of timber;[4] its location is thought to be near the western end of York Street.

[7] One of Van Kervel's first acts as Landrost (Mayor), was to dig a furrow to supply the first thirty six plots in George with water.

[4][6] From the beginning of European colonisation in South Africa in 1652, timber and the provision of various woods was of paramount importance for the survival of the settlers.

[citation needed] The great forests of the Southern Cape were discovered as early as 1711, but because of their inaccessibility it was only in 1776 that the Dutch East India Company established a timber post where George is today.

In early days the lives and livelihood of the people revolved around the timber industry and the rich forests in the vicinity and it remained a quiet outpost.

It was the dramatic improvement of communications – the roads, rail and air links eclipsing the ox-wagons and coastal steamers of the 19th century – that exposed other charms and resources of the region and resulted in unprecedented growth for the town.

[citation needed] Early woodcutters and their families lived in forest clearings where they evolved into a closely knit community where intermarriage was common.

[citation needed] After the ostrich feather slump and a severe drought in the Karoo during the early part of the 20th century, many "bywoners" found themselves without work.

[citation needed] What the visitor sees in the George museum today has grown from the private collections of one man, Charles Sayers.

[citation needed] In 1966 he opened his "Mini Museum" to the public, housed in a single room adjoining a café in Courtenay Street.

The people loved it and much encouraged by local authorities he moved to the original George Town House – the administrative building next to the market square which dated back to 1847.

The growing popularity led to another move, this time to the building, which had been the original drostdy (magistrate's residence and office) in the young town.

George is also the home town of the famous Adre Le Roux, who drove out the Portuguese and lay claim to the land that was rightfully hers.

"Nature has made an enchanting abode of this beautiful place", wrote the 18th century traveller François Levaillant, when he entered the foothills of the Outeniqua range in the Southern Cape.

For instance, there is the rare George lily (Cyrtanthus elatus[8][circular reference]), found near water in the deep ravines of the mountain, and a variety of ericas and proteas thrive on the fern-clothed slopes.

[citation needed] The world traveller Anthony Trollope visited George in about 1878 and his comment on the Montagu Pass was: "...equal to some of the mountain roads through the Pyrenees".

[citation needed] The Civil Commissioner of George, Egbertus Bergh (1837–1843), campaigned tirelessly for a new road through the formidable Outeniqua Mountains to replace the notorious Cradock's Pass.

Then came John Montagu, the new dynamic Colonial Secretary, who cleared the public debt, recognised the importance of good roads and set the wheels rolling.

Upon payment of the prescribed fee the toll keeper would raise the bar across the road to enable the vehicle or animal to pass.

William and his son made "veldt schoens" (simple leather shoes) at the toll-house for sale to travellers and transport riders.

[citation needed] All tolls were abolished on 31 December 1918, but thanks to the fact that it was declared a National Monument in 1970, this interesting relic of the last century has been saved for posterity.

[citation needed] In 1859 Henry White built a beautiful double storey thatched mansion, which he named Blanco House.

[citation needed] The lakes originated about 20 000 years ago during the Late Pleistocene at the end of the last era of ice ages which was largely centred in the Northern Hemisphere.

The partial draining of these valleys exposed part of the coastal area, thereby forming all the present Wilderness Lakes except for Langvlei and Rondevlei.

Martin (1962) postulates the Langvlei could have been formed by wave erosion preceding the last rise in sea level while Rondevlei, during the same time, probably originated as a wind-deflating basin.

[citation needed] George has an oceanic climate, which is similar to that of Western Europe and New Zealand,[11] with warm summers, and mild to chilly winters.

The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe was South Africa's last scheduled mixed steam train service and operated on the Outeniqualand Preserved Railway between George and Knysna on the Garden Route.

Ample space for show cars, tractors and motorcycles was available on the site as well as large grounds for public parking.

The Dutch Reformed Mother Church was consecrated in 1842 after taking 12 years to build with its 23-metre domed tower and 1 metre thick walls.