page_title: Bethlehem, Free State
hierarchical_section_title: Bethlehem, Free State
caption_attribution_description: Afrikaans: Gesig op Bethlehem uit die ooste. English: View over Bethlehem, looking west, in the Free State, South Africa
context_page_description: Bethlehem is a city in the eastern Free State province of South Africa that is situated on the Liebenbergs river along a fertile valley just north of the Rooiberg Mountains on the N5 road. It is the fastest growing town in the Free state province, with its target of being the third largest city after Bloemfontein and Welkom.
  It is a wheat growing area and named after the biblical Bethlehem.
  The town lies at an altitude of 1,700 metres and this contributes to its cool climate with frosty winters and mild summers. The average annual temperature is around 14 °C.
  Bethlehem is situated approximately 240 kilometres north-east of Bloemfontein, 140 kilometres east of Kroonstad and 90 kilometres west of Harrismith. The town is strategically situated in the heart of the picturesque north-eastern Free State and originally developed as a service centre. Bethlehem is the seat of the Dihlabeng Local Municipality.
  The township associated with Bethlehem is called Bohlokong, named after the hloko/bohloko grass Diheteropogon filifolius.
context_section_description: Bethlehem is a city in the eastern Free State province of South Africa that is situated on the Liebenbergs river (also called Liebenbergs Vlei) along a fertile valley just north of the Rooiberg Mountains on the N5 road. It is the fastest growing town in the Free state province, with its target of being the third largest city after Bloemfontein and Welkom.
  It is a wheat growing area and named after the biblical Bethlehem (from "Beit Lechem", Hebrew for "house of bread").
  The town lies at an altitude of 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) and this contributes to its cool climate with frosty winters and mild summers. The average annual temperature is around 14 °C (57 °F).
  Bethlehem is situated approximately 240 kilometres (150 mi) north-east of Bloemfontein, 140 kilometres (87 mi) east of Kroonstad and 90 kilometres (56 mi) west of Harrismith. The town is strategically situated in the heart of the picturesque north-eastern Free State and originally developed as a service centre. Bethlehem is the seat of the Dihlabeng Local Municipality (this municipality is situated within the boundaries of the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality in the Eastern Free State).
  The township associated with Bethlehem is called Bohlokong, named after the hloko/bohloko grass Diheteropogon filifolius.
caption: View of Bethlehem CBD looking west
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