Hopetown

"Hopetown" redirects here. For other uses, see Hopetown (disambiguation).

Hopetown
Hopetown
Hopetown
Coordinates: 29°37′33″S 24°05′08″E
Country	South Africa
Province	Northern Cape
District	Pixley ka Seme
Municipality	Thembelihle
Area
• Total	190.21 km2 (73.44 sq mi)
Population (2001)
• Total	8,048
• Density	42/km2 (110/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2001)
• Black African	16.8%
• Coloured	74.5%
• Indian/Asian	0.3%
• White	8.4%
First languages (2001)
• Afrikaans	93.6%
• Xhosa	5.5%
• Other	0.9%
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)

Hopetown lies at the edge of the Great Karoo in South Africa's Northern Cape province. It stands on an arid slope leading down to the Orange River. The first diamond discovered in South Africa, the Eureka Diamond, was found at Hopetown.

History

Hopetown was founded in 1850 when Sir Harry Smith extended the northern frontier of the Cape Colony to the Orange River. A handful of settlers claimed ground and by 1854 a frontier town had developed and a church had been built. Hopetown is mostly mistaken for a town in the Freestate, South Africa, called Hoopstad. Hoopstad is a different town and should not be confused with Hopetown in the Northern Cape, South Africa.

Hopetown was a quiet farming area until several large diamonds, most notable the Eureka Diamond and the Star of South Africa, were discovered there between 1867 and 1869.