So as part of my strange travels around the US, I come across small towns.. and on our way to Mammoth, we came across Randburg and Jannesburg, named wierldy enough after the infamous Egoli in South Africa..these towns were initally created as mining towns for gold, based on the wealth created by gold in JNB.
In 1896, Randsburg was called Rand Camp, and Red Mountain was originally called Osdick. Johannesburg was established in 1896 as the planned service community for the mining camps. It is the only Rand-area town laid out with straight streets and right-angle intersections. All three towns still retain remnants of the past and have been able to maintain their unique ambiance through the efforts of renovation and preservation.
Its however very different from what we know as Johnnesburg. Would you ever find a swap meet (clothes exchange, the concept of bartering comes to mind) in JNB? My poor fellow South Africans would be surprised to see the lack of high rise buildings or cool cars for that matter.. a very different take on the heart of Africa.
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