|— City —| |Elevation||1,850 m (6,070 ft)| |Time zone||EAT
(UTC+3)| Nakuru, the former provincial capital of Kenya's Rift
Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and the third
largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea
level. It is also the capital of Nakuru County. The history of
Nakuru can perhaps be traced to the prehistoric period due to
the archeological discoveries located about 8 km from the
Central Business District at the Hyrax Hill reserve. Nakuru is
Kenya's 3rd largest residency, larger even than the smallest of
the three cities, Kisumu. However, the modern town, as with many
others in Kenya, derives its name from the Maasai speaking
people of Kenya. Nakuru was established by the British as part
of the White highlands during the colonial era and it has
continued growing into a cosmopolitan town. It received township
status in 1904 and became a municipality in 1952. The history of
Kenya as a country is closely intertwined with that of Nakuru as
a town and a district.