In South Africa's Free State Province, Welkom is the second-largest city. It's 140 kilometers to the northeast of Bloemfontein. Circle City, City Within A Garden, and Matjhabeng are further names for Welkom. It was given municipal status in 1961 and then city status in 1968. Contrary to many other gold-mining towns, it was meticulously planned from the start to be centered around a horseshoe-shaped commercial and administrative district. In addition to mining for gold and uranium, Welkom also boasts a number of other industries, such as saw-milling, steelmaking, and slaughtering.