Urban Life

More than 90 percent of Israelis are city dwellers. Many modern urban centers, blending the old and the new, are built on sites known since antiquity, among them Jerusalem, Safed, Be'er Sheva, Tiberius, Nazareth and Akko. Others such as Rehovot, Hadera, Petah Tikva and Rishon Lezion began as agricultural villages in the pre-state era and gradually evolved into towns and cities. In the early years of the state, development towns were built to accommodate the accelerated population growth generated by mass immigration, to help disperse the population throughout the country and to promote a closely interlocked rural and urban economy by drawing industry and services to previously unpopulated areas. Towns found on this basis include Arad, Carmiel, Kiryat Gat and Beit Shemesh.

Eilat is Israel's southernmost city and its outlet to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Until 1949 a hotel for camel caravans stood where Eilat stands today. Since 1956, following the opening of the Red Sea to Israeli shipping, the city has developed rapidly. The city's new, modern port, built on the site believed to have been a harbor used in the time of King Solomon, handles the country's trade with Africa and the Far Easy. Comfortably warm winters, striking underwater scenery, lovely beaches, luxury hotels, a free-trade zone and accessibility from Europe via direct charter flights have made Eilat a year round, thriving tourist resort.

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