Netanya, Israel
Netanya
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| Hebrew transcription(s) | |||
| • ISO 259 | Netanya | ||
View of South Netanya from Poleg neighbourhood
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 Netanya
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| Coordinates: 32°20′0″N 34°51′0″E / 32.33333°N 34.85000°ECoordinates: 32°20′0″N 34°51′0″E / 32.33333°N 34.85000°E | |||
| Country |
 Israel
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| District | Central | ||
| Founded | February 18, 1929 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | City | ||
| • Mayor | Miriam Feirberg Ikar | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 28,455 dunams (28.455 km2 or 10.987 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2015) | |||
| • Total | 207,946 | ||
| Name meaning | Gift of God | ||
Netanya (Hebrew: נְתַנְיָה, lit., "gift of God"; Arabic: نتانيا) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is 30 km (18.64 mi) north of Tel Aviv, and 56 km (34.80 mi) south of Haifa, between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north. Netanya was named in honor of Nathan Straus of Macy's, a prominent Jewish American merchant and philanthropist in the early 20th century.
Its 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) of beaches have made the city a popular tourist resort. In addition, the city is known for its large immigrant population. A significant percentage of the city's population consists of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, France, and Ethiopia, and the city is home to a notably large population of English-speaking immigrants from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
In 2015 it had a population of 207,946 An additional 150,000 people live in the local and regional councils within 10 kilometres (6 miles) of Netanya which serves as a regional center for them. The city mayor is Miriam Feirberg. The city is expected to reach a population of 350,000 by 2020.
The idea to create the settlement of Netanya was drawn up at a meeting of the Bnei Binyamin association in Zikhron Ya'akov. The location was decided upon near the ancient site of Poleg, and it was decided to name it in honor of Nathan (Hebrew: Natan) Straus (1848–1931), co-owner of Macy's department store,New York City Parks Commissioner, and president of the New York City Board of Health, who gifted two-thirds of his personal fortune to projects benefiting Jews and Arabs in Palestine. "Netanya...was named for Straus in the hope he would donate money to them. When he told them he had no more money to give they were disappointed, but decided to keep the city's name anyway." In 1928 members of Bnei Binyamin and Hanote, an organisation set up after Straus was informed of the establishment of the settlement, purchased 350 acres (1.4 km2) of Umm Khaled lands.
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