Tel Aviv 31453 226021674 2008-07-16T14:00:56Z Nudve 5549777 Reverted [[WP:AGF|good faith]] edits by [[Special:Contributions/נעה|נעה]]; Nonsensical wording. ([[WP:TW|TW]]) {{Infobox Israel muni |name=Tel Aviv |image=Tel Aviv coatofarms.jpg |caption=Emblem of Tel Aviv |imgsize=70 |image3=תל אביב לילה ממערב.jpg|imgsize3=280 |caption3= Skyline at night |hebname={{lang|he|תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ}} |meaning=Spring Hill |founded=1909 |type=city |typefrom= |stdHeb= |altOffSp= |altUnoSp= |district=ta |population= 384,400<ref name="population">{{cite web|title = Table 3. - Population of localities numbering over 1,000 residents and other rural population|publisher = [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics|CBS]] | date = 2007-12-31 | accessdate=2008-05-09 | url = http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2009/table3.pdf | format = PDF}}</ref><br /> Metropolitan Area: 3,150,800 |popyear=2006 |area_dunam=51788 | |mayor=[[Ron Huldai]] |website=[http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/english/index.htm www.tel-aviv.gov.il]}} [[Image:Location telaviv.png|thumb|right|150px|Tel Aviv within the [[Tel Aviv District]]]] '''Tel Aviv-Yafo''' ({{lang-he-n|תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ}})<ref>Tel Aviv is also commonly written in Hebrew without the hyphen ('''תל אביב''').</ref> (usually '''Tel Aviv''') is the [[List of largest cities and second largest cities by country|second-largest]] [[List of cities in Israel|city]] in [[Israel]], with an estimated population of 384,400.<ref name="population" /> Tel Aviv is situated on the [[Israeli Coastal Plain|Israeli Mediterranean coastline]], covering {{convert|51.8|km2|sqmi}}. It is the largest and most populous city in Israel's largest [[metropolitan area]] known as [[Gush Dan]], home to 3.15&nbsp;million people as of 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=Localities, Population and Density per km²., by Metropolitan Area and Selected Localities |work=Statistical Abstract of Israel 2006 |publisher = [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] |url=http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton57/st02_15.pdf |format=PDF| accessdate=2007-05-31 | date=2006-12-31}}</ref> The city is governed by the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality, headed by [[Ron Huldai]].<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/english/index.htm | title=Tel Aviv Municipality | publisher=Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality | accessdate=2008-02-02}}</ref> Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 on the outskirts of the ancient port city of [[Jaffa]] ({{lang-he-n|יָפוֹ}}, ''Yafo''). The growth of Tel Aviv soon outpaced Jaffa, which was largely Arab at the time. Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged into a single municipality in 1950, two years after the [[Declaration of Independence (Israel)|establishment of the State of Israel]]. Tel Aviv's [[White City (Tel Aviv)|White City]], designated a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 2003, comprises the world's largest concentration of [[Modernist architecture|Modernist-style]] buildings.<ref name="UNESCO">{{cite web| url=http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/1096.pdf | title=The White City of Tel Aviv | accessdate=2008-03-29 | publisher=[[UNESCO]]}}</ref><ref name="times">{{cite news | url=http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/holiday_type/breaks/article3370349.ece | title=Hip and happening in Tel Aviv | work=The Times | date=2008-02-16 | accessdate=2008-02-16 | last=Strimpel | first=Zoe}}</ref><ref name="Economist">{{cite journal | url=http://www.economist.com/cities/findStory.cfm?city_id=TLV&folder=Facts-History | title=Economist City Guide-Tel Aviv | journal=[[The Economist]] | accessdate=2008-01-21}}</ref> Tel Aviv is Israel's economic hub, home of the [[Tel Aviv Stock Exchange]] and many corporate offices and research and development centers.<ref>{{Cite journal | url=http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/1998/04/11669 |title=New Economy: Silicon Wadi | journal=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | accessdate=2008-02-02 | date=[[1998-04-16]]}}</ref> Its beaches, [[cafe]]s, upscale shopping and secular lifestyle have made it a popular [[tourist destination]].<ref name="indy">{{cite news | url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/an-ugly-scrap-at-heathrow-for-the-bestlooking-kid-on-the-block-802459.html | title=An ugly scrap at Heathrow for the 'best-looking kid on the block' | publisher=Independent on Sunday | date=2008-03-30 | accessdate=2008-03-30}}</ref> It is the country's cultural capital and a major [[performing arts]] center.<ref name="GAWC" /> In the 2007 Mercer cost of living survey, Tel Aviv was ranked as the most expensive city in the Middle East and the 17th&nbsp;most expensive in the world.<ref name="mercer">{{cite web|url=http://www.mercer.com/referencecontent.jhtml?idContent=1268475|title=Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2007 – city rankings|publisher=[[Mercer Human Resource Consulting]] |date=2007-06-18 | accessdate=2008-01-21}}</ref> ==Etymology== The name ''Tel Aviv'' (literally "Hill of Spring") was chosen in 1910 from many suggestions, among them "Herzliya". ''Tel Aviv'' is the Hebrew title of [[Theodor Herzl]]'s book [[The Old New Land|''Altneuland'']] ("Old New Land"), translated from [[German language|German]] by [[Nahum Sokolow]]. Sokolow took the name from the [[Book of Ezekiel]]: "Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel Aviv, that lived by the [[Khabur River|river Chebar]], and to where they lived; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days."<ref>[[Book of Ezekiel]] 3:15</ref> This name was found fitting as it embraced the idea of the renaissance of the ancient Jewish homeland. ''Aviv'' is Hebrew for "spring", symbolizing renewal, and ''tel'' is an archaeological site that reveals layers of civilization built one over the other.<ref name="VTLV">{{citeweb | url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Telaviv.html | title=Tel Aviv | accessdate=2007-07-18 | publisher=''[[Jewish Virtual Library]]''}}</ref> Theories vary about the etymology of Jaffa or ''Yafo'' in Hebrew. Some believe that the name derives from ''yafah'' or ''yofi'', Hebrew for "beautiful" or "beauty". Another tradition is that [[Japheth]], son of [[Noah]], founded the city and that it was named for him. == History == ===Jaffa=== {{see|Jaffa}} [[Image:Yafo.jpg|thumb|widthpx|The Jaffa port.]] Jaffa is an ancient port and has changed hands many times in the course of history. A series of [[excavation|archeological excavations]], between 1955 and 1974, revealed traces of towers and gates from the [[Bronze age|Middle Bronze Age]].<ref name="TAU">{{citeweb | url=http://www.tau.ac.il/humanities/archaeology/projects/proj_jaffa.html | title=Excavations at Ancient Jaffa (Joppa) | accessdate=2008-03-30 | publisher=Tel Aviv University}}</ref> Subsequent excavations, from 1997 onwards, helped date earlier discoveries.<ref name="TAU"/> They also exposed sections of a packed-sandstone [[glacis]] and a "massive brick wall", dating from the [[Bronze age|Late Bronze Age]] as well as a temple "attributed to the [[Sea Peoples]]" and dwellings from the [[Iron Age]].<ref name="TAU"/> Remnants of buildings from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]], [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenistic]] and [[Ancient Egypt|Pharaonic]] periods were also discovered.<ref name="TAU"/> The city is first mentioned in letters from 1470 BCE that record its conquest by Egyptian [[Pharaoh]] [[Thutmose III]].<ref name="Economist"/> Jaffa is mentioned several times in the [[Bible]], as the port from which [[Jonah]] set sail for [[Tarshish]];<ref>[[Book of Jonah]] 1:3</ref> as bordering on the territory of the [[Tribe of Dan]];<ref>[[Book of Joshua]] 19:40–48</ref> and as the port at which the wood for [[Solomon's Temple]] in Jerusalem arrived from Lebanon.<ref>[[Books of Chronicles]] II 2:15</ref> In 1099, the Christian armies of the [[First Crusade]], led by [[Godfrey of Bouillon]] occupied Jaffa, which had been abandoned by the Muslims, fortified the town and improved its harbor.<ref>{{citebook | title=A History of the Crusades Vol 1: The First Crusade | last=Runciman| first=Steven |authorlink = Steven Runciman | publisher=Penguin| date=1951| location = London | pages=282, 308 |isbn =978-0-14-013706-4 }}</ref> As the [[Count]]y of Jaffa, the town soon become important as the main sea supply route for the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]].<ref>{{citebook | title=A History of the Crusades Vol 2: The Kingdom of Jerusalem| last=Runciman| first=Steven |authorlink = Steven Runciman| publisher=Penguin| date=1952| location = London | pages=191&ndash;92 |isbn=978-0-140-13704-0}}</ref> Jaffa was captured by [[Saladin]] in 1192 but swiftly re-taken by [[Richard I of England|Richard Coeur de Lion]], who added to its defenses.<ref name =RuncimanV3>{{citebook | title=A History of the Crusades Vol 3: The Kingdom of Acre| last=Runciman| first=Steven |authorlink = Steven Runciman | publisher=Penguin| date=1954| location = London | pages=70&ndash;71, 186, 324 |isbn=978-0-140-13705-7}}</ref> In 1223, [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Frederick II]] added further fortications.<ref name =RuncimanV3/> Crusader domination ended in 1268, when the [[Mamluk]] Sultan [[Baibars]] captured the town, destroyed its harbor and razed its fortifications.<ref name =RuncimanV3/><ref name="Kark">{{citebook | title=Jaffa: A City in Evolution 1799–1917| last=Kark | first=Ruth | publisher=Yad Yitzhak Ben-Zvi| date=1990| location=Jerusalem| pages =8-10 |isbn=978-9652170651}}</ref> To prevent further Crusader incursions, the city was ransacked in 1336, 1344 and 1346 by [[Nasir al-Din Muhammad]].<ref>{{cite journal | title=New Light on the History of Jaffa | publisher=Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society 5:82-84 | first=S. | last=Tolkovsky |date=1925| location =London}}</ref> In the 16th&nbsp;century, Jaffa was conquered by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] and was administered as a village in the [[sanjak]] of Gaza.<ref name="Kark"/> According to some sources it has been a port for at least 4,000&nbsp;years,<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/geo/jaffa.html | title=Jaffa | accessdate=2008-02-11 | publisher=''[[Jewish Virtual Library]]''}}</ref> [[Napoleon]] besieged the city in 1799 and killed scores of inhabitants; a plague epidemic followed, decimating the remaining population.<ref name="Kark"/> Jaffa began to grow as an urban center in the early 18th century, when the Ottoman government in Constantinople intervened to guard the port and reduce attacks by Bedouins and pirates.<ref name="Kark" /> However, the real expansion came during the 19th century, when the population grew from 2,500 in 1806 to 17,000 in 1886.<ref name="Economist"/> [[Image:TelAviv-Founding.jpg|thumb|left|Tel Aviv was founded on land purchased from Bedouins north of Jaffa. This photograph is of the 1909 auction of the first lots.]] From 1800 to 1870, Jaffa was surrounded by walls and towers, which were torn down to allow for expansion as security improved.<ref name=Haaretz20080115>{{cite news | url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/944906.html | title=Archaeological discoveries may prove barrier to Jaffa port rejuvenation | accessdate=2008-01-21 | date-2008-01-15 | work=[[Haaretz]]}}</ref> The sea wall, {{convert|2.5|m|ft}} high, remained intact until the 1930s, when it was built over during a renovation of the port by the British Mandatory authorities.<ref name=Haaretz20080115/> During the mid-19th century, the city grew prosperous from trade, especially of silk and [[Jaffa orange]]s, with [[Europe]].<ref name="Economist"/> In the 1860s Jaffa's small [[Sephardic]] community was joined by Jews from [[Morocco]] and small numbers of European [[Ashkenazi]] Jews, making by 1882 a total Jewish population of more than 1,500.<ref name="Economist"/> During the 1880s, Ashkenazi immigration to Jaffa increased with the onset of the [[First Aliyah]]. The new arrivals were motivated more by [[Zionism]] than religion and came to farm the land and engage in productive labor.<ref name="Economist"/> In keeping with their pioneer ideology, some chose to settle in the sand dunes north of Jaffa.<ref name="Economist"/> The beginning of modern-day Tel Aviv is marked by the construction of [[Neve Tzedek]], a neighborhood built by Ashkenazi settlers between 1887 and 1896.<ref name="UNESCO"/> ===Urban development=== [[Image:TelAviv-paam4.jpg|thumb|Early Tel Aviv]] The [[Second Aliyah]] led to further expansion.<ref name="Economist" /> In 1906, a group of Jews, among them residents of Jaffa, banded together to build a new [[:Category:Garden suburbs|garden suburb]] on the outskirts of Jaffa.<ref name="JewishVL>{{citeweb | url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/geo/tahist.html | title=From Spring Hill to Independence | publisher=''[[Jewish Virtual Library]]'' | accessdate=2008-01-20}}</ref> The goal of the ''[[Ahuzat Bayit]]'' (lit. "homestead") society was to build a "Hebrew urban centre in a healthy environment, planned according to the rules of aesthetics and modern hygiene".<ref name="Economist" /> In 1908, the group purchased {{convert|5|ha|acre|}} of dunes northeast of Jaffa which were divided into 60&nbsp;plots. [[Meir Dizengoff]], who later became Tel Aviv's first mayor, was a member of Ahuzat Bayit.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/people/BIOS/dizen.html | title=Dizengoff, Meir | publisher=[[Jewish Agency]] | accessdate=2008-01-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last = Bridger |first = David | authorlink = | title = The New Jewish Encyclopedia | publisher = Behrman House, Inc | date = 1906 | pages = 117 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=hZqpCrG3qw0C&pg=PA117&dq=founder+tel-aviv&sig=W_o3jcb3qX5frlmTU2tNfJhNqGo | isbn = }}</ref> His vision for Tel Aviv involved peaceful co-existence with the Arabs.<ref name="Economist" /> Another housing society, ''Nahalat Binyamin'', began to build on [[April 11]], [[1909]], after holding a lottery to divide up the land.<ref name="JewishVL">{{citeweb | url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/geo/tahist.html | title=From Spring Hill to Independence | accessdate=2008-01-20 | publisher=''[[Jewish Virtual Library]]''}}</ref> Within a year, [[Herzl]], Ahad Ha‘am, [[Judah Halevi]], [[Moshe Leib Lilienblum|Lilienblum]], and [[Rothschild Boulevard|Rothschild]] streets were built; a water system was installed; and 66&nbsp;houses (including some on six subdivided plots) were completed.<ref name="JewishVL" /> At the end of Herzl Street, a plot was allocated for a new building for the [[Herzliya Hebrew High School]], founded in Jaffa in 1906.<ref name="JewishVL" /> On [[May 21]] [[1910]], the name Tel Aviv was adopted.<ref name="JewishVL" /> Tel Aviv was planned as a European-style [[Garden city movement|garden suburb]] of Jaffa, with wide streets and boulevards.<ref name="brit">{{cite journal | url=http://www.travelwritersmagazine.com/RonBernthal/tel-aviv-and-its-bauhaus-tradition.html | title=The White City: Tel Aviv And Its Bauhaus Tradition | last=Bernthal | first=Ron | journal=Travel Writer's Magazine | accessdate=2008-01-21}}</ref> By 1914, Tel Aviv had grown to include more than {{convert|100|ha|acre|0}}, including several new neighborhoods.<ref name="JewishVL" /> However, growth halted in 1917 when the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] authorities expelled the Jews of Jaffa.<ref name="JewishVL" /> A report published in ''The New York Times'' by United States Consul Garrels in Alexandria, Egypt described the Jaffa deportation of early April 1917. The orders of evacuation were aimed chiefly at the Jewish population.<ref name=Turkish>{{cite book | title = The New York Times Current History | publisher = The New York Times Co| date = 1917| pages=167 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=Lls-WnKHpccC&q=Consul+Garrels+in+Alexandria+new+york+times+jaffa&dq=Consul+Garrels+in+Alexandria+new+york+times+jaffa&ei=n_vbR97NKJXGyATRhf3ABA&pgis=1| accessdate = 2008-03-15 }}</ref> ===Under the British Mandate=== [[Image:Rothschild Boulevard.jpg|thumb|Spring scene on [[Rothschild Boulevard]], one of Tel Aviv's historic streets]] Under [[British Mandate of Palestine|British administration]], the political friction between Jews and Arabs in [[Palestine]] increased. On [[May 1]] [[1921]], the [[Jaffa Riots]] erupted and an Arab mob killed dozens of Jewish residents. In the wake of this violence, many Jews left Jaffa for Tel Aviv, increasing the population of Tel Aviv from 2,000 in 1920 to 34,000 by 1925.<ref name="UNESCO" /><ref name="population">{{citeweb | url=http://www.travelnet.co.il/israel/TelAviv/History.htm | title=Tel Aviv History | accessdate=2008-01-20 | publisher=Travelnet.co.il}}</ref> New businesses opened in Tel Aviv, leading to the decline of Jaffa as a commercial center.<ref name="JewishVL" /> In 1925, [[Patrick Geddes]] drew up a [[Urban planning|master plan]] for Tel Aviv that was adopted by the city council led by [[Meir Dizengoff]].<ref name="Economist" /> The core idea was the development of a [[Garden City]]. The boundaries he worked within, the Yarkon River in the North and Ibn Gvirol Street in the East, are still regarded as Tel Aviv's real city limits although it has since grown beyond them.<ref name="arch">{{citeweb | url=http://mjwein.net/lectures/T-Lec-WhiteCity.pdf | title=Green, White or Black City? | format=pdf | accessdate=2008-03-16 | date=2006 | publisher=Martin Wein, Emory University}}</ref> Tel Aviv continued to grow in 1926 but suffered an economic setback between 1927 and 1930.<ref name="JewishVL" /><ref name="Economist" /> At the same time, cultural life was given a boost by the establishment of the Ohel Theater and the decision of [[Habima Theatre]] to make Tel Aviv its permanent base in 1931.<ref name="JewishVL" /> Tel Aviv gained municipal status in 1934.<ref name="JewishVL" /> The population rose dramatically during the [[Fifth Aliyah]] when the Nazis came to power in Germany.<ref name="JewishVL" /> As the Jews fled Europe, many settled in Tel Aviv, bringing the population in 1937 to 150,000, compared to Jaffa's 69,000&nbsp;residents. Within two years, it had reached 160,000, which was over a third of the country's total Jewish population.<ref name="JewishVL" /> Many new immigrants remained after disembarking in Jaffa, turning the city into a center of urban life. In the wake of the [[1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine|1936&ndash;39 Arab rioting]], a local port independent of Jaffa was built in 1938, and [[Lod Airport]] (later Ben Gurion Airport) and [[Sde Dov Airport]] opened between 1937 and 1938.<ref name="Economist" /> [[Image:OldcityhallS.jpg|thumb|left|Historic Tel Aviv town hall and [[Nahum Gutman]] fountain on [[Bialik]] Street]] Tel Aviv's [[White City (Tel Aviv)|White City]], now a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], emerged in the 1930s. Many of the German Jewish architects trained at the [[Bauhaus]], the [[Modernist]] school of architecture closed by the Nazis in 1933, fled Germany. Some came to Palestine and adapted the architectural outlook of the Bauhaus as well as other similar schools, to local conditions, creating what is claimed to be the largest concentration of buildings in the [[International Style]] in the world.<ref name="Economist" /><ref name="UNESCO" /> According to the [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181|1947 UN Partition Plan]] that proposed dividing Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, Tel Aviv, by then a city of 230,000, was slated for inclusion in the Jewish state. Jaffa with, as of 1945, a population of 101,580 people, 53,930 of whom were Muslim and 16,800 Christian, making up the Arab population, and 30,820 Jewish, was designated as part of the Arab state.<ref>{{Cite book | url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Maps/Story574.html | title=Supplement to a Survey of Palestine | accessdate=2008-04-13}}</ref> The Arabs, however, rejected the partition plan.<ref name="Economist" /> Between 1947 and 1948, tensions grew on the border between Tel Aviv and Jaffa, with Arab snipers firing at Jews from the minaret of the local mosque. The [[Haganah]] and [[Irgun]] retaliated with a siege on Jaffa.<ref name="Economist" /> From April 1948, the Arab residents began to leave. When Jaffa was conquered by Israeli forces on [[May 14]], few remained.<ref name="Economist" /> ===After Israeli independence=== [[Image:Tel Aviv foundations memorial.JPG|thumb||right|The inscription on a memorial on [[Rothschild Boulevard]] to Tel Aviv's founders translates as, "I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, oh Virgin of Israel".]] By the time of Israel's [[Declaration of Independence (Israel)|Declaration of Independence]] on [[May 14]] [[1948]], the population of Tel Aviv had risen to more than 200,000.<ref name="population" /> Tel Aviv became modern Israel's first capital because of the [[Siege of Jerusalem (1948)|Arab blockade of Jerusalem]],{{Dubious|Unrecognised Capital|date=June 2008}} and served as such throughout the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]]. The capital was subsequently transferred to Jerusalem, in December 1949. However, because of the international dispute over the status of Jerusalem, most foreign embassies remained in or near Tel Aviv.<ref name="VTLV" /> In the early 1980s, 13 embassies that had been moved to Jerusalem were returned to Tel Aviv as part of the [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 478|UN's measures]] responding to Israel's 1980 [[Jerusalem Law]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Foreign%20Relations/Israels%20Foreign%20Relations%20since%201947/1979-1980/119%20Foreign%20Ministry%20reaction%20to%20the%20transfer%20of%20t |title=Foreign Ministry reaction to the transfer of the Dutch embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv | date=1980-08-26 |accessdate=2007-06-03 |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |work=Israel's Foreign Relations: Selected Documents}}</ref> Today, all but two of the national embassies to Israel are in Tel Aviv or the surrounding district.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.science.co.il/Embassies.asp|title=Embassies and Consulates in Israel |accessdate=2007-07-18 |publisher=Israel Science and Technology |work=Israel Science and Technology Homepage}}</ref> In April 1949, Tel Aviv and Jaffa were united in the single municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo, and the lands of neighboring villages such as [[al-Shaykh Muwannis]], Jammasin and Sumail, which had been depopulated during the war, were incorporated into the municipality.<ref name="EJ">{{cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title=Tel Aviv-Jaffa |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Judaica]] |publisher=[[Thomson Gale]] | url=http://www.encyclopaediajudaica.com/efiles/TelAviv.pdf | accessdate=2008-02-09}}</ref> Tel Aviv thus grew to {{convert|42|km2|sqmi|sp=us|1}}. In 1949, a memorial to the 60&nbsp;founders of Tel Aviv was constructed.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.fodors.com/world/africa%20and%20middle%20east/israel/tel%20aviv/entity_190378.html | title=Founders Monument and Fountain | accessdate=2008-01-21 | publisher=''[[Fodors]]''}}</ref> Over the past 60&nbsp;years, Tel Aviv has developed into a [[secular]], liberal-minded city with a vibrant nightlife and café culture.<ref name="Economist" /> In the 1960s, some of the city's Modernist buildings were demolished and others were allowed to fall into disrepair. At the same time, new tower blocks were built, including the [[Shalom Meir Tower]], Israel's tallest building until 1999. Tel Aviv's population peaked in the early 1960s at 390,000, representing 16&nbsp;percent of the country's total.<ref name="profile">{{citeweb | url=http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/English/engineering/strategy/pdf/profile-main-issues.pdf | title=City Profile | accessdate=2008-03-30 | publisher=Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality | format=PDF}}</ref> A long period of steady decline followed, however, and by the late 1980s the city had an aging population of 317,000.<ref name="profile" /> High property prices pushed families out and deterred young people from moving in.<ref name="profile" /> At this time, gentrification started taking place in the poorer southern neighborhoods and the old port area in the north was renewed.<ref name="Economist" /> New laws were introduced later to protect the Modernist buildings, and their preservation was further helped by their gaining of [[UNESCO]] status. The early 1990s saw the population decline reverse in part due to the large wave of immigrants from the former Soviet Union.<ref name="profile" /> The 1990s also saw the emergence of Tel Aviv as a high-tech center.<ref name="Economist" /> The construction of many [[List of skyscrapers in Israel|skyscrapers]] and hi-tech office buildings followed, as Tel Aviv moved into a new phase in its development. In 1993 Tel Aviv was, for the first time, mentioned as a [[World City]] by [[Kellerman]] who emphasized the existence of "leading economic functions typical for the late 20th century city: hi-tech industries and a modern service economy."<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.ff.uni-lj.si/oddelki/geo/publikacije/dela/files/Dela_21/019%20kipnis.pdf | title=Tel Aviv, Israel – A World City in Evolution: Urban Development at a Deadend of the Global Economy | first=Baruch A. | last=Kipnis | date=2004 | accessdate=2008-03-30 | format=pdf}}</ref> The city is regarded to be a strong [[global city#GaWC Inventory of World Cities, 1999|candidate global city]] with many of the key characteristics of World Cities being present.<ref name="GAWC">{{cite web| url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/rb/rb57.html| title=Tel Aviv, Israel - A World City in Evolution: Urban Development at a Deadend of the Global Economy| last=Kipnis| first=B.A. | publisher=Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network at [[Loughborough University]]| date=2001-10-08 | accessdate=2007-07-17}} Cities in Transition. Ljubljana: Department of Geography, University of Ljubljana, pp. 183-194.</ref> [[Image:HPIM1008.jpg|thumb|left|Site of Prime Minister [[Yitzhak Rabin]]'s assassination at Kikar Malchei Yisrael, later renamed [[Rabin Square]]]] On [[November 4]], [[1995]], Israel's [[Prime Minister of Israel|prime minister]], [[Yitzhak Rabin]], [[Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin|was assassinated]] at a rally in Tel Aviv in support of the Oslo peace accord. The outdoor plaza where this occurred, formerly known as Kikar Malchei Yisrael, was renamed [[Rabin Square]].<ref name="Economist" /> Tel Aviv has suffered from violence by [[Palestinian political violence|Palestinian terrorist groups]] since the post-[[First Intifada]] period. The first [[suicide attack]] in Tel Aviv occurred on [[October 19]], [[1994]], on the [[Tel Aviv bus 5 massacre|Line 5 bus]], when a bomber killed himself and 21 civilians as part of a [[Hamas]] suicide campaign. The most deadly attack occurred on [[June 1]], [[2001]], during the [[Second Intifada]], when a suicide bomb exploded inside a nightclub called the [[Dolphinarium massacre|Dolphi Disco]], and 21 were killed and more than 100 were injured. The most recent attack in the city occurred on [[April 17]], [[2006]], when 11&nbsp;people, many of them foreign laborers, were killed and dozens wounded in another suicide attack in the same location.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.adl.org/Israel/israel_attacks.asp | title=Major Terrorist Attacks in Israel | accessdate=2007-07-19 | publisher=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref> In recent years, Tel Aviv has seen increasing support towards [[Green politics|green issues]] with the city turning its lights off as part of [[Earth Hour]] in March, 2008.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=969276&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0 | title=Tel Aviv goes dark as part of global 'Earth Hour' campaign | accessdate=2008-03-30 | date=2008-03-30 | publisher=Haaretz}}</ref> == Geography== [[Image:DSC 0061.jpg|A street in city center|thumb|220px]] Tel Aviv is located around {{coor dm|32|5|N|34|48|E|}} on the [[Israeli Coastal Plain|Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain]], the [[Via Maris|historic land bridge]] between Europe, Africa, and Asia. Immediately north of the ancient port of Jaffa, Tel Aviv lies on land that used to be sand dunes and as such has relatively poor soil fertility. The land has been flattened and has no important gradients; its most notable geographical features are bluffs above the Mediterranean coastline and the [[Yarkon River]] mouth.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Aliyah/About+Israel/Cities/Tel+Aviv.htm | title=Tel Aviv | publisher=[[Jewish Agency]] | accessdate=2008-01-26}}</ref> Because of the expansion of Tel Aviv and the Gush Dan region, absolute borders between Tel Aviv and Jaffa and between the city's neighborhoods do not exist. The city is {{convert|60|km|mi|0|sp=us}} northwest of Jerusalem and {{convert|90|km|mi|0|sp=us}} south of the northern port city of [[Haifa]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/distances.html?n=676 | title=Cities located close to Tel Aviv | accessdate=2008-01-26 | publisher=TimeandDate.com}}</ref> Neighboring cities and towns include [[Herzliya]] to the north, [[Ramat HaSharon]] to the northeast, [[Ramat Gan]] and [[Giv'atayim]] to the east, [[Holon]] to the southeast, and [[Bat Yam]] to the south.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.science.co.il/Israel-map-Carta.asp | title=Map of Israel | accessdate=2008-03-15 | publisher=Carta}}</ref> The city economically stratified between the north and south. South Tel Aviv is generally impoverished, with the exception of the [[Neve Tzedek]] neighborhood and some recent development by the [[Jaffa]] beach. It also includes the city's "[[downtown]]." Central Tel Aviv includes Tel Aviv's largest towers—[[Azrieli Center]]—and is also an important financial district that stretches to the part of [[Ramat Gan]] along the [[Highway 20 (Israel)|Ayalon Highway]]. Lively commercial streets run through this area. North Tel Aviv is the site of [[Tel Aviv University]] and some of Tel Aviv's most expensive [[upper class]] residential neighborhoods. The prosperity of the north stretches to neighboring [[Herzliya Pituah]], [[Ramat HaSharon]], and [[Kfar Shmaryahu]].<ref>[http://www.telaviv-insider.co.il/real-estate-2.php]</ref> ===Climate=== Tel Aviv has a [[Mediterranean climate]] with hot summers, pleasant springs and autumns, and cold, wet winters ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Csa''). Humidity tends to be high year-round due to the city's proximity to the sea. In winter, temperatures seldom drop below {{convert|5|°C|°F|sigfig=2}} and are usually between {{convert|10|°C|°F|sigfig=2}} and {{convert|15|°C|°F|sigfig=2}}; the city has not seen proper snow since 1950.<ref>{{Cite journal | url=http://www.springerlink.com/index/U14836571826303N.pdf | title=The Distribution of Snow in Israel | accessdate=2008-02-13 | journal=GeoJournal}}</ref> In summer the average is {{convert|26|°C|°F|sigfig=2}}, and often daytime temperatures exceed {{convert|32|°C|°F|sigfig=2}}. Despite the high humidity, precipitation during summertime is rare. The average annual rainfall is {{convert|530|mm|in|sp=us|1}}, nearly all occurring between October and April.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.wordtravels.com/Cities/Israel/Tel+Aviv/Climate | title=Tel Aviv Climate and Weather | publisher=World Travels | accessdate=2008-02-20}}</ref> Tel Aviv experiences on average more than 300&nbsp;sunny days a year. The record high temperature the city has seen is {{convert|43|°C|°F|sigfig=2}}, whilst the city's record low is {{convert|-1.9|°C|°F|sigfig=2}}.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.myforecast.com/bin/climate.m?city=66382&metric=true | title=Tel Aviv Almanac: Historical Information (February - Record Low) | publisher=MyForecast | accessdate=2008-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.myforecast.com/bin/climate.m?city=66382&metric=true | title=Tel Aviv Almanac: Historical Information (May - Record High) | publisher=MyForecast | accessdate=2008-04-04}}</ref> <center><!--Infobox begins-->{{Infobox Weather |metric_first=yes <!--Entering Yes will swap unit order to metric first. Leave blank for Imperial--> |single_line=yes <!--Entering Yes will compact the infobox vertically by placing some units on same line.--> |location = Tel Aviv |Jan_Hi_°F =63.5 |Jan_Hi_°C =17.5 |Jan_REC_Hi_°F = |Jan_REC_Lo_°F= <!--REC temps are optional; use sparely--> |Feb_Hi_°F =63.7 |Feb_Hi_°C =17.7 |Feb_REC_Hi_°F = |Feb_REC_Lo_°F = |Mar_Hi_°F =66.6 |Mar_Hi_°C =19.2 |Mar_REC_Hi_°F = |Mar_REC_Lo_°F = |Apr_Hi_°F =73.0 |Apr_Hi_°C =22.8 |Apr_REC_Hi_°F = |Apr_REC_Lo_°F = |May_Hi_°F =76.8 |May_Hi_°C =24.9 |May_REC_Hi_°F = |May_REC_Lo_°F = |Jun_Hi_°F =81.5 |Jun_Hi_°C =27.5 |Jun_REC_Hi_°F = |Jun_REC_Lo_°F = |Jul_Hi_°F =84.9 |Jul_Hi_°C =29.4 |Jul_REC_Hi_°F = |Jul_REC_Lo_°F = |Aug_Hi_°F =86.4 |Aug_Hi_°C =30.2 |Aug_REC_Hi_°F = |Aug_REC_Lo_°F = |Sep_Hi_°F =84.9 |Sep_Hi_°C =29.4 |Sep_REC_Hi_°F = |Sep_REC_Lo_°F = |Oct_Hi_°F =81.1 |Oct_Hi_°C =27.3 |Oct_REC_Hi_°F = |Oct_REC_Lo_°F = |Nov_Hi_°F =74.1 |Nov_Hi_°C =23.4 |Nov_REC_Hi_°F = |Nov_REC_Lo_°F = |Dec_Hi_°F =66.6 |Dec_Hi_°C =19.2 |Dec_REC_Hi_°F = |Dec_REC_Lo_°F = |Year_Hi_°C = 24.0 |Year_Hi_°F = 75.2 |Jan_Lo_°F =48.5 |Jan_Lo_°C =9.0 |Jan_REC_Hi_°C = |Jan_REC_Lo_°C = |Feb_Lo_°F =49.6 |Feb_Lo_°C =9.8 |Feb_REC_Hi_°C = |Feb_REC_Lo_°C = |Mar_Lo_°F =52.7 |Mar_Lo_°C =11.5 |Mar_REC_Hi_°C = |Mar_REC_Lo_°C = |Apr_Lo_°F =57.9 |Apr_Lo_°C =14.4 |Apr_REC_Hi_°C = |Apr_REC_Lo_°C = |May_Lo_°F =63.1 |May_Lo_°C =17.3 |May_REC_Hi_°C = |May_REC_Lo_°C = |Jun_Lo_°F =69.1 |Jun_Lo_°C =20.6 |Jun_REC_Hi_°C = |Jun_REC_Lo_°C = |Jul_Lo_°F =73.4 |Jul_Lo_°C =23.0 |Jul_REC_Hi_°C = |Jul_REC_Lo_°C = |Aug_Lo_°F =74.7 |Aug_Lo_°C =23.7 |Aug_REC_Hi_°C = |Aug_REC_Lo_°C = |Sep_Lo_°F =72.5 |Sep_Lo_°C =22.5 |Sep_REC_Hi_°C = |Sep_REC_Lo_°C = |Oct_Lo_°F =66.4 |Oct_Lo_°C =19.1 |Oct_REC_Hi_°C = |Oct_REC_Lo_°C = |Nov_Lo_°F =58.3 |Nov_Lo_°C =14.6 |Nov_REC_Hi_°C = |Nov_REC_Lo_°C = |Dec_Lo_°F =52.2 |Dec_Lo_°C =11.2 |Dec_REC_Hi_°C = |Dec_REC_Lo_°C = |Year_Lo_°C = 16.4 |Year_Lo_°F = 61.5 |Jan_Precip_inch = 8.8 |Feb_Precip_inch = 5.0 |Mar_Precip_inch = 0.9 |Apr_Precip_inch = 0.1 |May_Precip_inch = 0.3 |Jun_Precip_inch = 0 |Jul_Precip_inch = 0 |Aug_Precip_inch = 0 |Sep_Precip_inch = 0 |Oct_Precip_inch = 0.1 |Nov_Precip_inch = 2.5 |Dec_Precip_inch = 3.9 |Year_Precip_inch = 21.5 <!--****If the source reports in metric units, use the unit reported by the source--mm or cm ****--> |Jan_Precip_cm = |Jan_Precip_mm = 126.9 |Feb_Precip_cm = |Feb_Precip_mm = 90.1 |Mar_Precip_cm = |Mar_Precip_mm = 60.6 |Apr_Precip_cm = |Apr_Precip_mm = 18.0 |May_Precip_cm = |May_Precip_mm = 2.3 |Jun_Precip_cm = |Jun_Precip_mm = 0 |Jul_Precip_cm = |Jul_Precip_mm = 0 |Aug_Precip_cm = |Aug_Precip_mm = 0 |Sep_Precip_cm = |Sep_Precip_mm = 0.5 |Oct_Precip_cm = |Oct_Precip_mm = 26.3 |Nov_Precip_cm = |Nov_Precip_mm = 79.3 |Dec_Precip_cm = |Dec_Precip_mm = 126.4 |Year_Precip_mm = 530.5 |source =World Weather Information Service<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.worldweather.org/013/c00044.htm|format=PDF| title=Monthly Average of Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperature |publisher=World Weather Information Service |work=Statistical Abstract of Israel 2006 | accessdate=2008-01-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton57/st01_04.pdf |format=PDF| title=Precipitation |publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] |work=Statistical Abstract of Israel 2006 | accessdate=2008-01-19}}</ref> |accessdate = <!--For a second source--> |source2 = |accessdate2 = }}</center> ===Districts=== {{see|Neighborhoods of Tel Aviv}} [[Image:Old yaffo 3.JPG|thumb|widthpx|Tel Aviv viewed from Old Jaffa.]] Tel Aviv is made up of nine districts that have formed naturally over the city's short history. The most notable of these is Jaffa, the ancient port city out of which Tel Aviv grew. This area is traditionally made up demographically of a greater percentage of Arabs, but recent [[gentrification]] is replacing them with a young professional population. Similar processes are occurring in nearby [[Neve Tzedek]], the original Jewish neighborhood outside of Jaffa. [[Ramat Aviv]], a neighborhood in the northern part of the city largely made up of luxury apartments and including the Tel Aviv University, is currently undergoing extensive expansion and is set to absorb the beachfront property of Sde Dov Airport after its decommissioning.<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3420369,00.html | title=Tel Aviv airport to make way for luxury project | accessdate=2007-07-03 | date=2007-07-03 | last=Petersburg | first=Ofer | work=Ynetnews}}</ref> This will likely take several years while expansion north of the airport makes up the majority of the city's growth. Historically, there has been a demographic split between the [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] and [[European ethnic groups|Europeans]] north of the city, including the neighborhood of Ramat Aviv, and the southern, more [[Sephardi]] and [[Mizrahi]] neighborhoods including Neve Tzedek and [[Florentine, Tel Aviv|Florentin]].<ref name="Economist" /> Since the 1980s, however, restoration and gentrification has taken place on a large scale in the southern neighborhoods, making them some of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods for the more prosperous north Tel Avivis.<ref name="Economist" /> In north Tel Aviv, the old port area, which had become run-down since the port was decommissioned in 1965, also saw an urban revival, becoming an upmarket area with shops and restaurants.<ref name="Economist" /> ==Architecture== {{See|White City (Tel Aviv)|:Category:Buildings and structures in Tel Aviv}} [[Image:106 Rothschild Boulevard by David Shankbone.jpg|Bauhaus structure on Rothschild Boulevard|thumb]] The early architecture of Tel Aviv consisted largely of Eastern European-style single-story houses with red-tiled roofs.<ref name="arch" /> Neve Tzedek, the first neighborhood to be constructed outside of Jaffa is characterised by two-story sandstone buildings.<ref name="UNESCO" /> By the 1920s, a new eclectic Orientalist style came into vogue, combining European architecture with Middle Eastern features such as arches, domes and ornamental tiles.<ref name="arch" /> Municipal construction followed the "garden city" master plan drawn up by [[Patrick Geddes]]. Two- and three-story buildings were interspersed with boulevards and public parks.<ref name="arch" /> [[Bauhaus]] architecture was introduced in the 1920s and 1930s by German Jewish architects who settled in Palestine after the rise of the Nazis. Tel Aviv's [[White City (Tel Aviv)|White City]], in north Tel Aviv, contains more than 5,000&nbsp;Modernist-style buildings inspired by the [[Bauhaus]] school and [[Le Corbusier]].<ref name="UNESCO" /><ref name="times" /> Construction of these buildings, later declared protected landmarks and, collectively, a [[UNESCO]] World Heritage Site, continued until the 1950s in the area around [[Rothschild Boulevard]].<ref name="times" /><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=1096 | title=White City of Tel Aviv | accessdate=2007-07-19 | publisher=[[UNESCO]]}}</ref> Three thousand buildings were created in this style between 1931 and 1939 alone.<ref name="arch" /> [[Image:Azrieli Towers Sept.2007.JPG|left|[[Azrieli Center]]|thumb]] In the 1960s, this architectural style gave way to office towers and a chain of waterfront hotels and commercial skyscrapers.<ref name="Economist" /> Some of the city's Modernist buildings were neglected to the point of ruin. Before legislation to preserve this landmark architecture, many of the old buildings were demolished. In recent years, efforts have been made to refurbish Bauhaus buildings and restore them to their original condition.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/Architecture/Bauhaus.html | title=Bauhaus Architecture | publisher=''[[Jewish Virtual Library]]'' | accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref> In recent years, Tel Aviv has become a hub of modern [[high-rise]] architecture due to the soaring price of real-estate in the city. The [[Shalom Meir Tower]], Israel's first skyscraper, was built in Tel Aviv in 1965 and remained the country's tallest building until 1999. The [[Azrieli Center]], composed of three buildings&mdash; one square, one triangular, and one circular&mdash;usurped that title. Since 2001, Israel's tallest building is the [[Moshe Aviv Tower|City Gate Tower]], which is located in the neighboring city of [[Ramat Gan]], although the country's tallest wholly residential building, the [[Neve Tzedek Tower]], is in Tel Aviv. New neighborhoods such as the [[Park Tzameret]] are being constructed to house luxury apartment towers including [[YOO Tel Aviv]] towers designed by [[Philippe Starck]], while zones such as [[Sarona, Palestine|The southern Kirya]] are being developed with office towers. Other recent additions to Tel Aviv's skyline are the [[1 Rothschild Tower]], [[Be'eri Nahardea Tower]] and [[First International Bank Tower]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://telavivinf.com/info/infoitems.asp?lang=eng&cat=1&status=completed | title=Tel Aviv Towers| accessdate=2008-03-15 | publisher=Tel Aviv in Focus}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?cityID=948 | title=Tel Aviv | publisher=SkyscraperPage.com | accessdate=2008-03-15]]}}</ref> <center> <gallery> Image:Shalom Meir.jpg|Migdal Shalom Image:Drom-kirya01.jpg|Towers in Southern Kirya district Image:Bauhaus Tel-Aviv museum.jpg| Bauhaus Museum Image:Pagoda House.jpg|Pagoda House </gallery> </center> ==Demographics== {| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:3px; text-size:80%; text-align:right" |align=center colspan=2| '''City of Tel Aviv<br>Population by year'''<ref name="profile" /><ref name="Economist" /><ref name="population" /><ref name="UNESCO" /><ref name="JewishVL" /> |- |1920 || 2,000 |- |1925 || 34,000 |- |1937 || 150,000 |- |1939 || 160,000 |- |1948 || 200,000 |- |1960 || 390,000 |- |1989 || 317,000 |- |2008 || 384,400 |} The city has a population of 384,400 spread over an area of {{convert|51788|dunam|km2|1}} (20 mi²), yielding a population density of 7,445 people per square kilometer (2,875 per square mile). According to the [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] (CBS), as of June 2006 Tel Aviv's population is growing at an annual rate of 0.9%. It consists of 91.8% [[Jew]]s, 4.2% [[Arab]]s and 4.0% others ([[Christians]], [[Buddhists]]).<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://gis.cbs.gov.il/website/yishuvim/yishuvim_2005/XLS/bycode.xls | title=Tel Aviv Ethnic Breakdown | publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] | date=2005-12-31 | format=Excel | accessdate=2007-07-07}}"Others" refers to non-Arab Christians and unclassified.</ref> The city is relatively multicultural, and languages such as [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], [[Thai language|Thai]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Arabic]], [[French language|French]] and [[English language|English]] are often spoken aside Hebrew. According to some estimates, about 50,000 unregistered Asian [[foreign worker]]s live in the city.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://migration.ucdavis.edu/MN/more.php?id=1041_0_5_0 | title=Migration News | accessdate=2007-05-22 | publisher=UC Davis}}</ref> Compared with other Westernised cities, crime in Tel Aviv is relatively low.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=64217 | title=Israel 2007 Crime & Safety Report: Tel Aviv | accessdate=2008-01-26 | publisher=Overseas Security Advisory Agency}}</ref> According to Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, the average income in the city is about 20% above the national average, and the unemployment rate is 6.9%.<ref name="TA Stats">{{citeweb | url=http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:Fmggdk2FbeIJ:www.tel-aviv.gov.il/English/cityhall/geo/6167Area.pdf+http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/English/cityhall/geo/6167Area.pdf&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk | title=Tel Aviv-Yafo in Numbers | publisher=Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality | accessdate=2008-01-27 |date=July 2006}}</ref> The city maintains education standards above the national average; of its 12th-grade students, 64.4% are eligible for [[Bagrut|matriculation certificates]], the qualification received by those finishing high school.<ref name="TA Stats"/> In the city, the age profile of the population is relatively evenly spread, with 22.2% aged under 20, 18.5% aged 20–29, 24% aged 30–44, 16.2% aged between 45 and 59, and 19.1% older than 60.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www1.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_11x&CYear=2007 | title=Statistical Abstract of Israel 2007 | accessdate=2008-01-23 | publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] }}</ref> Tel Aviv's population peaked in the early 1960s at around 390,000, falling to 317,000 in the late 1980s as high property prices forced families out and prevented young residents from moving in.<ref name="profile" /> The early 1990s, however, saw this downturn reversed with the entry of new immigrants from the Former Soviet Union, and ever since, the population has been growing steadily.<ref name="profile" /> Today, the city's population is young and growing.<ref name="young">{{cite news | url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1200572495562&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull | title=Tel Aviv getting younger | work=[[Jerusalem Post]] | date=2008-01-21 | accessdate=2008-01-31}}</ref> In 2006, 22,000&nbsp;people moved to the city, while only 18,500 left,<ref name="young" /> and many of the new families had young children. The population of Tel Aviv is expected to reach 450,000 by 2025; meanwhile, the average age of residents in the city fell from 35.8 in 1983 to 34 in 2008.<ref name="young" /> The population over age 65 stands at 14.6% compared with 19% in 1983.<ref name="young" /> ===Religion=== [[Image:Tel Aviv Great Synagogue.jpg|thumb|The [[Great Synagogue (Tel Aviv)|Great Synagogue of Tel Aviv]] in the 1930s]] Despite its image as a secular city, Tel Aviv has about a hundred synagogues, including historic buildings such as the [[Great Synagogue (Tel Aviv)|Great Synagogue]], established in the 1930s.<ref>{{cite news | title=The Jewish underground of Tel Aviv | url=http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3451146,00.html | work=Ynetnews | first=Udi | last=Michelson |date=2007-01-19 | accessdate=2008-03-16}}</ref> Jewish law states, however, that synagogues must be close to the place of residence, explaining the high number in the city. In recent years, Tel Aviv has become a center for secular Jewish Studies, including a "seclar [[yeshiva]]".<ref name=arfa>{{Cite news | last = Arfa | first = Orit | title = Jewish learning on the rise in Tel Aviv | work = Jerusalem Post | accessdate = 2008-07-15 | date = 2006-10-21 | url = http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1159193467733&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull }}</ref> In 2006, tensions between religion and secularism became apparent, as the Geulat Yisrael synagogue was vandalized prior to the planned [[pride parade]].<ref name=cohen>{{Cite news | last = Cohen | first = Avi | title = Synagogue vandalized as gay parade controversy picks up steam | work = Ynetnews | accessdate = 2008-07-15 | date = 2006-11-02 | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3322809,00.html }}</ref> One of Tel Aviv's famous landmarks is the [[Hassan Bek Mosque]], on the beachfront. Jaffa is home to a sizable Muslim and Christian population. The number of churches has grown in recent years to accommodate the religious needs of diplomats and foreign workers.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Euk/Destinations/Tel+Aviv/Tel+Aviv-Jaffa.htm | title=Tel Aviv-Jaffa | accessdate=2008-03-16 | publisher=Israeli Tourism Ministry}}</ref> The Tel Aviv District is 93 percent Jewish, 1 percent Muslim, and 1 percent Christian. The remaining 5 percent are not classified by religion.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www1.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_06x&CYear=2007 | title=Population by District, Sub-District and Religion | pulisher=Israel CBS | work=Statistical Abstract of Israel 2007 | format=pdf | date=2007 | accessdate=2008-04-02}}</ref> ==Economy== [[Image:Ehad Haam stock exchange.JPG|thumb|Tel Aviv Stock Exchange]] [[Image:Shuk hacarmel.JPG|thumb|Shuk HaCarmel market]] Since Tel Aviv was built on sand dunes, farming was not profitable and maritime commerce was centered in [[Haifa]] and [[Ashdod]]. Instead, the city gradually developed as a center for scientific and technical research. In 1974, [[Intel]] opened its first overseas research and development operation in the city, and Tel Aviv emerged as a high-tech center in the 1990s.<ref name="Economist" /> Economic activities in the city account for about 15 percent of national employment and about 17 percent of [[GDP]].<ref name="profile" /> Forty percent of national employment in finance and 25 percent of national employment in business services is in the city.<ref name="profile" /> The economy of Tel Aviv has developed dramatically over the past decades. The city has been described as a flourishing technological center by ''[[Newsweek]]'' and a "miniature [[Los Angeles]]" by ''[[The Economist]]''.<ref name="Newsweek">{{cite journal| last=Levy | first=Stephen | coauthors=Matt Rees | title= "Focus on Technology: The Hot New Tech Cities" | journal=[[Newsweek]] | date=1998-11-09}} <!-- (online: 1998-11-04) "Massive immigration from Russia in the early 90s brought the country a flood of computer scientists with advanced theoretical knowledge." --></ref><ref name="Economist">{{cite journal | url=http://www.economist.com/cities/findStory.cfm?city_id=TLV&folder=Facts-Figures#Economic_profile | title=Tel Aviv City Guide | accessdate=2007-05-28 | journal=[[The Economist]]}}</ref> Many computer scientists, their numbers increased by immigration from the former Soviet Union since the early 1990s, live and work in Tel Aviv. In 1998, the city was described by [[Newsweek]] as one of the top 10&nbsp;most technologically influential cities in the world. Since then, high-tech industry in the Tel Aviv area has developed even more.<ref name="Newsweek" /> The Tel Aviv metropolitan area (including satellite cities such as [[Herzliya]] and [[Petah Tikva]]) is Israel's center of high-tech and is sometimes referred to as [[Silicon Wadi]].<ref name="Newsweek"/><ref name="mercer" /> Tel Aviv is home to the [[Tel Aviv Stock Exchange]] (TASE), Israel's only stock exchange, which has reached record heights since the 1990s.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jun2007/gb20070621_251927.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_global+business | title=Israel: A Hotbed of...Investment | work=[[BusinessWeek]] | date=2007-06-21 | accessdate=2007-07-07 | last=Sandler |first=Neal}}</ref> Many international venture-capital firms, scientific research institutes and high-tech companies are headquartered in the city. Industries in Tel Aviv include chemical processing, textile plants and food manufacturers.<ref name="Economist" /> The city's nightlife, cultural attractions and architecture attract tourists whose spending benefits the local economy.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.thomsonfly.com/en/destination_3863.html | title=Tel Aviv | accessdate=2007-07-19 | publisher=Thomsonfly}}</ref> The Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC) at [[Loughborough University]] has constructed an inventory of [[world cities]] based on their level of advanced producer services. The inventory lists Tel Aviv as having "strong evidence" of world city formation&mdash;the highest ranking for a Middle Eastern city with the exception of partly-European [[Istanbul]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/citylist.html | title=Inventory of World Cities | publisher=[[Loughborough University]] | accessdate=2007-07-07}}</ref> Nine of the fifteen Israeli billionaires live in Israel; four live in Tel Aviv or its suburbs, according to ''[[Forbes]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/10/07billionaires_The-Worlds-Billionaires_CountryOfCitizen_10.html | title=The World's Billionaires | accessdate=2007-07-07 | work=Forbes}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/81/biz_06israel_Israels-Richest_land.html | title=Israel's 40 Richest | date=2006-12-09 | accessdate=2007-07-07 | work=Forbes | last=Bin-Nun |first=Boaz}}</ref> According to [[Mercer Human Resource Consulting|Mercer]], a human resources consulting firm based in New York, as of 2007 Tel Aviv is the most expensive city in the Middle East and the 17th most expensive in the world. It falls just behind [[New York City]] and [[Dublin]] and just ahead of [[Rome]] and [[Vienna]] in this respect.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/15/pf/most_expensive_cities/index.htm?eref=rss_topstories | title=World's most expensive cities | work=CNNMoney | date=2007-06-18 | accessdate=2007-06-18 | author=Sahadi, Jeanne}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.mercer.com/referencecontent.jhtml?idContent=1268475 | title=Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2007 – city rankings | date=2007-06-18 | publisher=Mercer HR Consulting | accessdate=2007-07-07}}</ref> == Culture== ===Tourism and recreation=== [[Image:Tel Aviv Beachs.jpg|thumb|250px|Tel Aviv beachfront skyline]] As a [[Mediterranean]] city, Tel Aviv attracts many international tourists annually, some of whom have likened it to [[Barcelona]].<ref name="indy" /> It has many museums, cultural sites, shopping and entertainment districts, and beaches, and according to the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, it has 44&nbsp;hotels with more than 5,800&nbsp;rooms.<ref name="TA Stats" /> Tel Aviv has been called "the city that never sleeps" because of its [[nightlife]] and 24-hour culture.<ref name="night">{{citeweb | url=http://www.tel-aviv-insider.com/nightlife-1.php | title=bars in Tel Aviv | accessdate=2007-07-19 | publisher=Tel Aviv Insider}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1191257245175&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull | title=TA Anglos make their own scene in city that never sleeps | work=[[Jerusalem Post]] | accessdate=2008-02-04 | date=2007-10-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/travel/features/2008/02/16/show-tel-89520-20321363/ | title=Show & Tel | work=The Mirror | accessdate=2008-02-16 | date=2008-02-16}}</ref> The city has quite a few [[public park]]s, the largest being [[Yarkon Park|Park HaYarkon]]. [[Gan Meir]], named after the first mayor, Meir Dizengoff, is another park in the city center. Seventeen&nbsp;percent of the city is covered in plants.<ref name="TA Stats" /> The city has many malls, such as Dizengoff Center (Israel's first mall) and [[Azrieli Center]], as well as many hotels including the [[Crowne Plaza]], [[Sheraton Hotels and Resorts|Sheraton]], [[Dan]], [[Isrotel Tower|Isrotel]] and [[Hilton Hotels|Hilton]]. It is home to many museums, architectural and cultural sites, and offers tours in different languages. A [[tour bus]] service was made available in 2007,<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://city-tour.co.il/ntextin.asp?psn=1109 | title=Tel Aviv bus tour | accessdate=2008-01-19 | publisher=Tel Aviv City Tours}}</ref> and the city also has architectural tours<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.telavivarchitecture.com | title=Tel Aviv architecture tour | accessdate=2008-01-19 | publisher=TelAvivArchitecture.com }}</ref> and [[Segway]] tours<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.segways.co.il/ | title=Tel Aviv segway tours | accessdate=2008-01-19 | publisher=Segways.co.il}}</ref> as well as walking tours of many varieties.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.telaviv4fun.com/citywalks.html | title=Tel Aviv walking tours | accessdate=2008-01-19 | publisher=TelAviv4Fun.com}}</ref> The nightlife is particularly active around the beachfront [[promenade]]s because of its many [[nightclub]]s and [[Bar (establishment)|bars]]. The city has a wide variety of restaurants offering traditional Israeli dishes as well as international fare. More than 100&nbsp;[[sushi]] restaurants, the third highest concentration in the world, do business in the city, and an [[Italian food|Italian]] restaurant in Tel Aviv was deemed the best Italian restaurant outside of Italy by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture.<ref name="times" /><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3499855,00.html | title=Israel becomes sushi mecca | first=Sarit | last=Saradas-Trutino | work=Ynetnews | accessdate=2008-02-15 | date=2008-01-28}}</ref> The liberal nature of Tel Aviv is evidenced in matters relating to sexual orientation and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender-transsexual [[LGBT]] rights.<ref name=burden>{{Cite news | last = Burden | first = Chas Newkey | title = Tel Aviv, the final gay frontier | work = Ynetnews | accessdate = 2008-07-15 | date = 2007-01-08 | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3349664,00.html }}</ref> The city hosts a [[gay pride parade|pride parade]] that attracts thousands annually and in early 2008 it hosted Israel's first sex festival.<ref name=kapshuk>{{Cite news | last = Kapshuk | first = Yoav | title = 15,000 take part in Tel Aviv gay parade | work = Ynetnews | accessdate = 2008-07-15 | date = 2007-08-06 | url = http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3410263,00.html }}</ref><ref name=bahrir>{{Cite news | last = Bahrir | first = Roee | title = First ever sex festival launched in Israel | work = Ynetnews | accessdate = 2008-07-15 | date = 2007-12-26 | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3486857,00.html }}</ref> ===Arts and theater=== [[Image:Hichal hatarbut7.jpg|thumb|Fredric R. Mann Auditorium, Tel Aviv's largest theater]] Tel Aviv is a major cultural center of Israel.<ref>{{citebook | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=wyPZRi9uYxUC&pg=PA196&dq=tel+aviv+israel+cultural+capital&ei=RzLpR9b5FouuzgSe2529CQ&sig=UMwFeSsVp3W3r8KgHp83v6sIW9Q | title=Emerging Nodes in the Global Economy: Frankfurt and Tel Aviv Compared | first=Felsenstein, Daniel | last=Schamp, Eike W. | publisher=Springer | date=2002 | accessdate=2008-03-25}}</ref> Eighteen of Israel's 35&nbsp;major centers for the performing arts are located in the city, including five of the country's nine large theaters, where 55[[percent|%]] of all performances in the country and 75% of all attendance occurs.<ref name="profile" /><ref name="culture">{{Citeweb | url=http://www.cityguide.travel-guides.com/city/125/culture/Middle-East/Tel-Aviv.html | title=Tel Aviv Culture | accessdate=2008-01-31 | publisher=TravelGuides.com}}</ref> The [[Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center]] is the home of the Israeli Opera, where [[Plácido Domingo]] was house tenor between 1962 and 1965, and the [[Cameri Theater]].<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.israel-opera.co.il/Eng/?CategoryID=220&ArticleID=146 | title=History and Architecture | publisher=Israel Opera | accessdate=2008-01-31}}</ref> With 3,000&nbsp;seats, the Fredric R. Mann Auditorium (''Heichal Hatarbut'') is the city's largest theater.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.hatarbut.co.il/English/about.htm | title=Mann Auditorium | accessdate=2008-01-31 | publisher=Hatarbut.co.il}}</ref> [[Habima Theater]], Israel's national theater, was closed down for renovations in early 2008. Enav Cultural Center is one of the newer additions to the cultural scene.<ref name="culture" /> Other theaters in Tel Aviv are the Gesher Theater and Beit Lessin Theater; Tzavta and Tmuna are smaller theaters that host musical performances and [[Fringe theatre|fringe]] productions. In Jaffa, the Simta and Notzar theaters specialize in fringe style. [[Image:Suzanne Dellal Centre5.jpg|thumb|left|Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre in [[Neve Tzedek]]]] Tel Aviv is home to a number of established [[dance]] centers and companies. The [[Batsheva Dance Company]], a contemporary dance troupe, as well as [[Bat Dor]] and the [[Israel Ballet]] are also headquartered in Tel Aviv.<ref name="culture" /> Tel Aviv's center for modern and classical dance is the Suzanne Dellal Center in [[Neve Zedek]].<ref name=iexplore>{{Cite web | title = Tel Aviv Activities | work = iExplore.com | accessdate = 2008-07-15 | url = http://www.iexplore.com/cityguides/Israel/Tel+Aviv/Activities }}</ref> Opera and classical music performances are held daily in Tel Aviv. Many of the world's leading [[Conducting|classical conductors]] and [[Solo (music)|soloists]] have performed on Tel Aviv stages.<ref name="culture" /> Tel Aviv's [[Yarkon Park]] is a popular venue for rock concerts.<ref name=travel>{{Cite web | title = Yarkon Park (Ganei Yehoshua) | work = Professional Travel Guide | accessdate = 2008-07-15 | url = http://www.professionaltravelguide.com/tel-aviv/see-and-do/sightseeing/parks-gardens/yarkon-park-ganei-yehoshua-484281 }}</ref><ref name=shechnik>{{Cite news | last = Shechnik | first = Raz | title = Madonna to perform in Tel Aviv? | work = Ynetnews | accessdate = 2008-07-15 | date = 2008-05-11 | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3541724,00.html }}</ref><ref name=brinn>{{Cite news | last = Brinn | first = David | title = New York Dolls join Morrissey bill in Park Hayarkon | work = Jerusalem Post | accessdate = 2008-07-15 | date = 2008-06-03 | url = http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212041463126&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull }}</ref> The [[Cinematheque|Tel Aviv Cinemathèque]] screens art movies, premieres of short and full-length Israeli films, and hosts a variety of film festivals, among them the Festival of Animation, Comics and Caricatures, the Student Film Festival, the Jazz, Film and Videotape Festival and Salute to Israeli Cinema. The city has several [[Multiplex (movie theater)|multiplex cinema]]s.<ref name="culture" /> ===Museums=== [[Image:Eretz Israel Museum2.jpg|thumb|widthpx|The [[Eretz Israel Museum]].]] Israel is said to have the highest number of museums per capita of any country, three of the largest of which are in Tel Aviv.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.visit-tlv.co.il/eng.html | title=Museums and Galleries | publisher=Tel Aviv Municipality | accessdate=2007-09-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Governing Israel: Chosen People, Promised Land and Prophetic Tradition |last=Sharkansky |first=Ira |year=2005 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=0765802775 |pages=22 }}</ref> Among these are the [[Eretz Israel Museum]], known for its collection of archaeology and history exhibits dealing with the [[Land of Israel]], and the [[Tel Aviv Museum of Art]]. Housed on the campus of [[Tel Aviv University]] is the [[Beth Hatefutsoth]], a museum of the international Jewish diaspora that tells the story of Jewish prosperity and persecution throughout the [[Jewish diaspora|centuries of exile]]. Batey Haosef Museum specializes in [[Israel Defense Forces]]' military history. The [[Palmach|Palmach Museum]] near Tel Aviv University offers a multimedia experience of the history of the Palmach as well as archives depicting the lives of Jewish soldiers who became Israel's first defenders. Near [[Charles Clore]]'s garden in north Jaffa is a small museum of the [[Irgun|Etzel]] Jewish militant organization, which conquered Jaffa in the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]]. The [[Tel Aviv Exhibition Centre|Tel Aviv Exhibition Center]] in the northern part of the city hosts more than 60&nbsp;major events a year. Many offbeat museums and galleries operate in the city's southern areas, including the Tel Aviv Raw Art contemporary art gallery.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/English/culture/museums/index.htm | title=Treasure of the State | accessdate=2008-01-26 | publisher=Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality}}</ref><ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/English/culture/museums/list.htm | title=The Museums of Tel-Aviv-Jaffa | accessdate=2008-01-26 | publisher=Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality}}</ref> ===Sports=== [[Image:NokiaArena.jpg|thumb|Tel Aviv's [[Nokia Arena]]]] Tel Aviv is home to some of the top sports teams in Israel, including a world-class basketball team. It is the only city with three&nbsp;teams in [[Ligat ha'Al]], the country's top [[Football in Israel|football]] league. [[Maccabi Tel Aviv|Maccabi Tel Aviv Sports Club]] was founded in 1906 and competes in more than 10&nbsp;sports. Its [[Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club]] holds 47&nbsp;Israeli titles, has won 36&nbsp;editions of the Israel cup, and has five&nbsp;European Championships, and its [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.]] holds 18&nbsp;Israeli league titles and has won 22&nbsp;editions of the Israel cup, two&nbsp;Israel Toto cups and two&nbsp;Asia cups. [[Yael Arad]], an athlete in Maccabi's [[judo]] club, won a silver medal in the 1992 [[Olympic Games]].<ref>{{Cite book | title=Great Jews in Sports | url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GWE_lEPfHpIC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=yael+arad+olympics+tel+aviv&source=web&ots=LIDp37r1g8&sig=VY6aPXvzPszPVDfNvp1v5JBc3fc&hl=en| accessdate=2008-03-15 | publisher=Jonathan David Company, Inc. | first=Robert | last=Slater | date=2003 | pages=19}}</ref> [[Hapoel Tel Aviv]] Sports Club was founded in 1923 and has included more than 11&nbsp;sports clubs<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.fotw.net/flags/il@hapta.html | title=Hapoel Tel Aviv | accessdate=2007-07-19 | publisher=Fotw.net}}</ref> including the [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club]] (13&nbsp;Israeli championships, 11&nbsp;Israeli cups, one&nbsp;Toto cup and one&nbsp;Asia champion), a kayaking club, and a women's basketball club. [[Image:Ramat Gan Stadium.jpg|thumb|left|widthpx|[[Ramat Gan Stadium]].]] [[Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.|Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv]]'s football club (once Israeli champion, twice [[Israel State Cup|State Cup]] winners and twice [[Toto Cup]] winner) is the only Israeli football team in the top division that represents a neighborhood, the [[Hatikva Quarter]] in Tel Aviv, and not a city. Other football clubs in the top division were [[Shimshon Tel Aviv F.C.|Shimshon Tel Aviv]] and [[Beitar Tel Aviv F.C.|Beitar Tel Aviv]], which has merged into one team, [[Beitar/Shimshon Tel Aviv F.C.|Beitar/Shimshon Tel Aviv]], in the third division, [[Liga Artzit]]. Another former first division team, [[Maccabi Jaffa F.C.|Maccabi Jaffa]], played in the lower divisions in the [[2007/08 in Israeli football|2007&ndash;08 season]]. Two [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] clubs operate in Tel Aviv. The Tel Aviv Rowing Club, established as early as 1935 on the banks of the Yarkon River, is the largest rowing club in Israel.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.rowersalmanac.com/profiles/israel.asp | title=Rowers Almanac | accessdate=2007-07-19 | publisher=Rowersalmanac.com}}</ref> Meanwhile, the beaches of Tel Aviv provide a vibrant [[Matkot]] (beach paddleball) scene.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.telaviv-insider.co.il/sports.php | title=Sports in the Tel-Aviv | accessdate=2007-07-19 | publisher=Tel Aviv Insider}}</ref> [[Tel Aviv Lightning]] represent Tel Aviv in the [[Israel Baseball League]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.stljewishlight.com/topstories/12348156495807.php | title=Israel Baseball League starts in June | work=[[St. Louis]] Jewish Light | accessdate=2008-01-19}}</ref> == Government == [[Image:Tel Aviv Court House Shaul Hamelech.JPG|thumb|Tel Aviv Courthouse]] Tel Aviv is governed by a 31-member city council elected for a four-year term in direct proportional elections.<ref name="govt">{{cite book | last = Encyclopaedia Britannica Staff | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The New Encyclopaedia Britannica | publisher = Encyclopaedia Britannica | date = 1974 | location = | pages = 66 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=YpZpY9plD7AC&q=tel-aviv+city+council&dq=tel-aviv+city+council&lr=&pgis=1 | doi = | id = | isbn = 0852292902}}</ref> All Israeli citizens over the age of 18 with at least one year of residence in Tel Aviv are eligible to vote in municipal elections. The municipality is responsible for social services, community programs, public infrastructure, urban planning, tourism and other local affairs.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/English/human/index.htm| title=Social Services Administration| accessdate=2008-03-29| publisher=Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/English/education/community/centers.htm | title=Community Life | accessdate=2008-03-29 | publisher=Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/English/Tourism/Information/Index.htm | title=Tourism | accessdate=2008-03-29 | publisher=Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality}}</ref> The Tel Aviv City Hall is located at [[Rabin Square]]. As of 2008, [[Ron Huldai]] is mayor of Tel Aviv, having held that office since 1998.<ref name="govt" /> The longest serving mayor of the city was [[Shlomo Lahat]], who was in office for 19&nbsp;years. The shortest serving was [[David Bloch]], in office for just two years, 1925&ndash;27. The importance of Tel Aviv is further enhanced by the non-recognition of [[Jerusalem]] as the [[Positions on Jerusalem|Capital of Israel]] by the international community, which maintains [[embassies]] mostly in Tel Aviv.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.science.co.il/Embassies.asp |title=Embassies and Consulates in Israel |publisher=Israel Science and Technology Homepage |accessdate=2008-03-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Society and Settlement: Jewish Land of Israel in the Twentieth Century |last=Kellerman |first=Aharon |isbn=0791412954 |publisher=State University of New York Press |month=January |year=1993 |pages=140 |quote=[Tel Aviv] also contains most embassies, given the nonrecognition by many countries of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.}}</ref> The Israeli [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)|Ministry of Defense]] is in Tel Aviv.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://israel.org/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1999/8/Ministry%20of%20Defense | title=Ministry of Defense | publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs | date=1999-08-24 | accessdate=2008-03-18}}</ref> [[Israel Meir Lau]] is chief rabbi of the city. The demographic split in the city has also created political divisions between the [[Labor Party (Israel)|Labor Party]], usually strongest in the north, and Likud and other right-wing and religious parties, usually strongest in the south.<ref name="Economist" /> In the [[Israeli legislative election, 2006|2006 election]], however this pattern changed when the new centrist [[Kadima]] party gained 28 percent of the city's vote, followed by [[Labor Party (Israel)|Labor]] with 20 percent.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3233587,00.html | title=תוצאות האמת: 28 לקדימה, הליכוד במקום חמישי | publisher=Yedioth Ahronoth | date=2006-03-29 | accessdate=2008-03-30 | language=Hebrew}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1143498754035&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull | title=Pensioners a big hit in Tel Aviv | work=[[Jerusalem Post]] | accessdate=2008-03-30 | date=2006-03-29}}</ref> ===Mayors=== [[Image:RabinSquare.jpg|thumb|300px|Tel Aviv City Hall and the [[Rabin Square]].]] {|class="wikitable" |+ Mayors of Tel Aviv ! ! Name ! Took office ! Left office |- |1 |[[Meir Dizengoff]] |1921 |1925 |- |2 |[[David Bloch]] |1925 |1927 |- |3 |Meir Dizengoff |1928 |1936 |- |4 |[[Israel Rokach]] |1936 |1952 |- |5 |[[Haim Levanon]] |1953 |1959 |- |6 |[[Mordechai Namir]] |1959 |1969 |- |7 |[[Yehoshua Rabinowitz]] |1969 |1974 |- |8 |[[Shlomo Lahat]] ("Chich") |1974 |1993 |- |9 |[[Roni Milo]] |1993 |1998 |- |10 |[[Ron Huldai]] |1998 | |} ==Education== [[Image:Eng boul.jpg|thumb|The Engineering Faculty Boulevard in [[Tel Aviv University]]]] Tel Aviv is home to many schools, colleges, and universities. As of 2006, 51,359&nbsp;children attended school in Tel Aviv, of whom 8,977&nbsp;were in municipal kindergartens, 23,573 in municipal elementary schools, and 18,809 in high schools.<ref name="TA Stats" /> Sixty-four percent of students in the city are entitled to matriculation, more than 5 percent higher than the national average.<ref name="TA Stats" /> Four thousand children are in first grade at schools in the city, and population growth is expected to raise this number to 6,000 by 2012.<ref name="young" /> As a result, 20&nbsp;additional kindergarten classes will open in 2008&ndash;09 in the city, while additional classes will be added at schools in north Tel Aviv. A new elementary school is planned north of Sde Dov as well as a new high school in north Tel Aviv.<ref name="young" /> Particularly notable schools in the city include the [[Gymnasia Herzlia]], which moved from Jaffa to Tel Aviv in 1909 to coincide with the establishment of the city. The school continues to operate, although has moved to [[Jabotinsky Street]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.schooly.co.il/gymnasia/ | title=Gymnasia Herzlia | language=Hebrew | accessdate=2008-04-02}}</ref> Other notable schools in Tel Aviv include [[Shevah Mofet]], the second Hebrew school in the city, [[Ironi Alef]] and Alliance. Tel Aviv's major institution for higher education is [[Tel Aviv University]]. Together with [[Bar-Ilan University]] in neighboring [[Ramat Gan]], the student population is more than 50,000, with a sizeable number of international students.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.topuniversities.com/ | title=Tel Aviv University | accessdate=2007-07-19 | publisher=QS Top Universities}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Education/higher_ed.html | title=Higher Education | publisher=''Jewish Virtual Library'' | accessdate=2007-07-19}}</ref> [[Tel Aviv University]], founded in 1953, is now the largest [[university]] in Israel, internationally known for its [[physics]], [[computer science]], [[chemistry]] and [[linguistics]] departments. The campus is located in the neighborhood of [[Ramat Aviv]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.tau.ac.il/tau-history-eng.html | title=TAU History | publisher=[[Tel Aviv University]] | accessdate=2008-01-26}}</ref> Tel Aviv also has several colleges.<ref name=colleges>{{Cite web | title = Colleges in Israel | work = Israel Science and Technology Homepage | accessdate = 2008-07-15 | url = http://www.science.co.il/Colleges.asp }}</ref> ==Transport== [[Image:Kirya bridge Tel Aviv.jpg|thumb|Multimodal traffic in Tel Aviv includes pedestrians, private cars, buses, trucks, taxis and trains.]] [[Image:Littleuni 13.jpg|thumb|The [[Highway 20 (Israel)|Ayalon Highway]] on Tel Aviv's eastern border]] {{main|Transport in Tel Aviv}} Many major routes of the national road network pass through or end in Tel Aviv, a transportation hub. The main road access route to Tel Aviv is the [[Highway 20 (Israel)|Ayalon Highway (Highway 20)]], which runs along the eastern side of the city from north to south along the Ayalon River riverbed, dividing for the most part Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan. Driving south on the Ayalon gives access to [[Highway 1 (Israel)|Highway 1]], leading to [[Ben Gurion International Airport]] and Jerusalem. Within the city, the main routes are King George Street, [[Allenby Street]], [[Ibn Gabirol Street]], [[Dizengoff Street]], [[Rothschild Boulevard]], and in Jaffa the main route is Jerusalem Boulevard. Namir Road connects the city to [[Highway 2 (Israel)|Highway 2]], Israel's main north–south highway, and Begin/Jabotinsky Road, which provides access from the east through Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak and Petah Tikva. Tel Aviv, accommodating about 500,000&nbsp;commuter cars daily, suffers from increasing congestion. In 2007, the Sadan Report recommended the introduction of a [[Road pricing|congestion charge]] similar to that of [[London]] in Tel Aviv as well as other Israeli cities. Under this plan, road users traveling into the city would pay a fixed fee.<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1198517321459 | title=Public transportation to be overhauled | accessdate=2008-01-27 | work=[[Jerusalem Post]] | date=2008-08-01 | last=Wrobel | first=Sharon }}</ref> Tel Aviv Municipality is trying to encourage the use of bicycles in the city, aiming to open 100&nbsp;bicycle-rental stations to serve {{convert|74|km|mi|1|sp=us}} of bicycle paths. Plans call for expansion of the paths to {{convert|100|km|mi|1|sp=us}} by 2009.<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1200572503247&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull | title=City wheels in bicycle rental plan | accessdate=2008-01-31 | date=2008-01-21 | work=[[Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref> Tel Aviv has four [[Israel Railways|train stations]] along the Ayalon Highway. The stops are from north to south: Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv Merkaz, Tel Aviv Hashalom (near [[Azrieli Center]]) and Tel Aviv Hahaganah (near the [[Tel Aviv Central Bus Station]]). It is estimated that over a million&nbsp;people travel by train from the surrounding cities to Tel Aviv each month. The [[Tel Aviv Central Bus Station]] is in the south of the city. The main bus network in Tel Aviv is operated by [[Dan Bus Company]]; the [[Egged Bus Cooperative]], the world's second-largest bus company, provides intercity transportation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/11/Facets%20of%20the%20Israeli%20Economy-%20Transportation |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |title=Facets of the Israeli Economy &ndash; Transportation |date=[[2001-11-01]] |last=Solomon |first=Shoshanna |accessdate=2007-07-17}}</ref> Tel Aviv's domestic airport is [[Sde Dov]] in the northwestern part of the city. Sde Dov is slated to close because it occupies prime coastal real estate near the upscale Ramat Aviv neighborhood.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/793988.html | title=Sde Dov to be vacated, state gets half of Big Bloc | accessdate=2007-07-17 | work=[[Haaretz]] | last=Bar-Eli |first=Avi| date=[[2006-11-30]]}}</ref> In the near future all services to Sde Dov will transfer to [[Ben Gurion International Airport]], Israel's main international airport, close to the city of [[Lod]] and {{convert|15|km|mi|0}} southeast of Tel Aviv. Because it is close to Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion International Airport is often referred to as ''Tel Aviv International Airport'' even though it is not part of any municipal jurisdiction. In early 2008, Tel Aviv Municipality announced a pilot scheme to build charging stations for electric cars. Initially, five&nbsp;charging points will be built, and eventually 150&nbsp;points will be set up across the city as part of the Israeli electric car project, [[Project Better Place]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000299280&fid=942 | title=Tel Aviv commits to electric car | accessdate=2008-01-17 | date=2008-01-17 | work=Globes}}</ref> Battery replacement points will be located at the city's entrances. ==Media== [[Image:Yediot.jpg|thumb|Headquarters of [[Yedioth Ahronoth]] in Tel Aviv]] The three largest newspapers in Israel are published in Tel Aviv. Tabloid ''[[Yedioth Ahronoth]]'' has been Israel's most widely circulated newspaper since the 1970s and is headquartered on Begin Road.<ref name="news">{{citeweb | url=http://www.abyznewslinks.com/israe.htm | title=Israel Newspapers | accessdate=2008-01-31 | publisher=Abzynewslinks.com}}</ref> ''[[Maariv]]'', Israel's second most popular tabloid, is also published in the city, while ''[[Haaretz]]'', Israel's most popular broadsheet, is based in the city.<ref name="news" /> Tel Aviv also acts as the base for other national press, including the evening financial newspaper ''[[Globes]]'', the weekly newspaper ''[[HaTzofe]]'', and the daily newspaper ''[[Makor Rishon]]''.<ref name="news" /> ''[[Iton Tel Aviv]]'' and the weekly ''[[Zman Tel Aviv]]'' and the Arabic weekly [[Almadina (newspaper)]] report local news.<ref name="news" /> More recently, the free daily ''[[Israel Post]]'' and ''[[Israeli (newspaper)|Israeli]]'' have been produced in the city. Several radio stations cover the Tel Aviv area, including the city-based Radio Tel Aviv.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.mondotimes.com/1/world/il/235/4739 | title=Tel Aviv Israel news media | accessdate=2008-01-31 | publisher=Mondotimes.com}}</ref> ==Cityscape== [[Image:GushDanPano1.jpg|815px|center|thumb|Panorama of a part of Gush Dan - including parts of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Giv'atayim.]] ==Sister cities== Tel Aviv is [[town twinning|twinned]] with 27 cities and has a partnership with [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], [[United States|USA]]:<ref name="twinning">{{citeweb | url=http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/Hebrew/Cityhall/TwinCities/Index.asp | title= Tel Aviv sister cities | accessdate=2008-01-19 | publisher=Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality | language=Hebrew}}</ref> {|style="width:100%" |- |width=33.3%| *{{flagicon|France}} [[Toulouse]], [[France]] (1962) *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], [[USA]] (1967) *{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Cologne]], [[Germany]] (1979) *{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Frankfurt]], [[Germany]] (1980) *{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Bonn]], [[Germany]] (1983) *{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]] (1988) *{{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]] (1989) *{{flagicon|Serbia}} [[Belgrade]], [[Serbia]] (1990) *{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Essen, Germany|Essen]], [[Germany]] (1992) |width=33.3%| *{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]] (1992) *{{flagicon|Poland}} [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]] (1992) *{{flagicon|France}} [[Cannes]], [[France]] (1993) *{{flagicon|Poland}} [[Łódź]], [[Poland]] (1994) *{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Milan]], [[Italy]] (1994) *{{flagicon|Greece}} [[Thessaloniki]], [[Greece]] (1994) *{{flagicon|China}} [[Beijing]], [[China]] (1995) *{{flagicon|Spain}} [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]] (1998) |width=33.3%| *{{flagicon|Turkey}} [[İzmir]], [[Turkey]] (1998) *{{flagicon|Palestine}} [[Gaza]], [[Palestinian Authority]] (1998)<ref name="twinning1">{{citeweb | url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/952850.html | title= Tel Aviv decides to retain contract with Gaza City as `twin city` | accessdate=2008-02-11 | publisher=Haaretz | language=English}}</ref> *{{flagicon|Kazakhstan}} [[Almaty]], [[Kazakhstan]] (1999) *{{flagicon|Moldova}} [[Chişinău]], [[Moldova]] (2000) *{{flagicon|South Korea}} [[Incheon]], [[South Korea]] (2000) *{{flagicon|Cyprus}} [[Limassol]], [[Cyprus]] (2000) *{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Moscow]], [[Russia]] (2000) *{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] (2004) *{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Vienna]], [[Austria]] (2005) |} ==References== {{reflist|2}} <!---Extra stuff: <ref>{{cite journal | url=http://www.jewishmag.com/43mag/jaffa/jaffa.htm | title=Archaeology in Jaffa | first=Jacqueline | last=Schaalje | publisher=The Jewish Magazine}}</ref> --> ==External links== <!--===========================({{NoMoreLinks}})===============================--> <!--| DO NOT ADD MORE LINKS TO THIS ARTICLE. 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