Ra'anana
Ra'anana
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| Hebrew transcription(s) | ||
| • ISO 259 | Raˁnana | |
Panorama of Ra'anana
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 Ra'anana
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| Coordinates: 32°11′N 34°52′E / 32.183°N 34.867°ECoordinates: 32°11′N 34°52′E / 32.183°N 34.867°E | ||
| Country | Israel | |
| District | Central | |
| Founded | 2 April 1922 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | City | |
| • Mayor | Ze'ev Bielski | |
| Population (2015) | ||
| • Total | 70,782 | |
Ra'anana (Hebrew: רַעֲנָנָה, lit. "Freshness") is a city in the heart of the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel. Bordered by Kfar Saba on the east and Herzliya on the southwest, it had a population of 70,782 in 2015. While the majority of its residents are native-born Israelis, a large part of the population are immigrants from the Americas and Europe.
Ra'anana's high tech industrial park is home to many leading global companies and local start up companies. It was designated a "Green City" award by the World Health Organization in 2005.
In 1912, the Company for Jewish Settlement in Israel formed the "Ahuza A – New York" group to purchase land in Palestine for agricultural settlement. The First World War delayed their plans but on 2 April 1922, two wagons left the corner of Lilienblum and Herzl Streets in Tel Aviv carrying four "Ahuza" members, three laborers and two armed watchmen. After a five-hour journey, they unloaded their baggage at the place destined to become Ra'anana.
According to a census conducted in 1931 by the British Mandate authorities, Ra'anana had a population of 615 inhabitants, in 182 houses.
In its early days, the settlement was called "Ahuza A – New York." The Arabs of the region called it "Little America" as most of its residents were English speakers and came from New York. Later it was renamed "Ra'anania" and finally the founding settlers chose "Ra'anana" as its official name. By 1948, it was a village of 3,000 residents.
By the late 1960s, it had a population of 8,500 spanning an area of 15 square kilometres (6 sq mi). In the 1980s Ra'anana was declared a city.
Ra'anana has both a large English-speaking population and a Spanish-speaking population, mainly from Argentina. The number of French immigrants is also on the rise.
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