Identity card

Hod –Hasharon was founded through the unification of four settlements: Magdiel,  Ramatayim, Kfar Hadar, and Ramat Hadar.  Unification year: 1964 In 1990 Hod –Hasharon became a city. Area of jurisdiction: 19,239 dunams (more than 4,800 acres), half the superficies of Tel-Aviv. Population: about 40,000 inhabitants at the end of year 2003. Planned population: 80,000 inhabitants in 2025. Location: south Sharon, over the north boundary of Tel-Aviv. Hod-Hasharon overlooks a major crossroads in vicinity of important towns in the Dan urban compound and the Sharon area.

presentation

Hod-Hasharon is the biggest countryside characterized city in Israel. Not in vain Hod-Hasharon, the city in green, is regarded as a national example for urban growth, that combine construction and rapid development together with a strict preserving of values like nature and landscape. Ground attached houses spread over about half the area of the town. The population density in Hod-Hasharon is the lowest in the Sharon's area cities and it will remain so in the future.

Hod-Hasharon offers an urban spaciousness with " green lungs" , parks among the biggest in the country, plenty of gardens, playing facilities for children, sports fields and halls, many public institutions, wide roads net integrated with green designed traffic circles for improved safety, and other additional life quality parameters. National bypass highways surround the town, ease the internal traffic and promote the linkage with the remaining parts of the country.

The urban growth of the city goes on in the last years according to the master plan, prepared by the best experts for urban design and approved by the national urban design authority. Hod-Hasharon is one of the best planned city in the country, including long term designed educational institutions for all ages. New high standard neighborhoods were built, together with educational institutions and a modern traffic infrastructure. More neighborhoods and roads are planned for years to come, as well as the construction of a big municipal hall for cultural events and a sportek, to improve the possibilities of entertainment and leisure activities in the town. All these features attract new socio-economically high leveled incomers from other cities, joining the welcoming inhabitants of Hod-Hasharon in designed quarters, where green flora dominates.

The prestigious college for jurisprudence "Shaarey Mishpat" (law gates) is located in Hod-Hasharon. More academic institutions are to be founded in the future according to a plan, that provides the construction of a campus for high education in the city.

The young inhabitants of Hod-Hasharon enjoy an enriched educational program, a leading one in the country, and a prolonged learning day in elementary schools. Plenty of social and cultural activities – that include cultural, artistic and sport centers, after-school child care facilities and clubs for elderly citizens – made Hod-Hasharon a warm and lively home for young couples as well as a supporting environment for senior citizens.

The name's origin: Hod-Hasharon is a new appellation, allocated to the original settlements Magdiel, Ramatayim, Hadar and Ramat Hadar, that were founded as rural settlements and were unified to a local council in 1964. in 1990 the local council got the status of municipality and the original settlements turned to be neighborhoods in the city.

The local council's emblem of Hod-Hasharon includes a citrus tree, - representing agriculture and citrus, upon which was based the existence of the settlement – with 4 orange fruits on its top – marking the geographical location of the four settlements in Hod-Hasharon's map; a cog-wheel – symbol for the developing industry in the city; and the names of the 4 settlements that unified in 1964 to form a new community named Hod-Hasharon – ordered according to their date of foundation.

Magdiel

On the Tabernacles feast in 1924, twelve men immigrated from Poland plowed for the first time their field on the lands of "Bir Adas", that were allocated to the group by the land redeemer Yoshua Hankin. The surrounding Arab villages, the wilderness all around and the fact that they were in origin town-dwellers did not prevent them to adhere to the land, to upgrade its soil and make it suitable for agricultural activities. Despite a lot of difficulties, a family atmosphere prevails between the settlers, who did not take in consideration the differences in their ethnic origin. The Zionist spirit which filled their hearts made them accept the difficulties with love, because they felt that in doing so, they were striking deep roots in the land of Israel.

Ramatayim

In year 1925, a group of young Zionists, who dreamed about the establishment of a "rural characterized village", came to strengthen the first settlers of Ramatayim. The result of that initiative was a real impulse to the Jewish settlement that created the Moshava Ramatayim. It was founded on two principles: private initiative and opposition to the salaried labor. Despite their origin as city-dwellers and the many kinds of difficulties they faced, they believed that their mission was to work the land as Zionist pioneers and earn their livelihood from it. Topographically, this area consists of two hills and the valley between them; therefore the place was called Ramatayim (in Hebrew: two hills).

Kfar Hadar

In year 1927, a group of pioneers purchased lands from the Bedouin tribe Abou Kishk. Despite that those guys were city dwellers from origin, they decided to build a Jewish rural village, based on citrus crops – such citrus orchards were regarded in those days as a lucrative business, that can bring respectable livelihood to their owners; in addition these crops fitted the soil in this area. They were also involved in chicken coops and poultry farming, putting great emphasis from the beginning on Jewish labor. New Yemenite immigrants arrived to Kfar Hadar in the beginning of the forties, and settled in a place that have afterwards been called "Shikun Hateymanim" (Yemenite housing) of Hadar. Today it is a part of Ganney Tzvi neighborhood.

Ramat Hadar

Ramat Hadar was founded on December 1938 by new immigrants from Germany, who belonged to the fifth Aliya. The new village was built on a hill in vicinity of Kfar Hadar , Ramatayim and the road Petah Tikva – Ramatayim. The settlement was based on small farms with one branch of activity, sometimes two, with chicken coops and poultry farming. The result of the knowledge and the experience acquired by the members, in addition to the technological development of the agricultural association, was a self marketing of the farm products without any assistance from the institutions, a matter which was unusual in those days.