Rishon LeZion
Rishon LeZion
רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן | |
|---|---|
City (from 1950) | |
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • ISO 259 | Riˀšon l Ṣiyon |
| • Translit. | Rishon LeTziyon |
| • Also spelled | Rishon LeZiyyon (official) |
From up to the left: Palm Tree Boulevards, The Superland and Yes Planet, Leader's Park, 'Off the lip' Sculpture, Gold Mall | |
| Coordinates: 31°57′N 34°48′E / 31.950°N 34.800°E | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Central |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Raz Kinstlich |
| Area | |
• Total | 61,910 dunams (61.91 km2 or 23.90 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 260,453 |
| • Density | 4,200/km2 (11,000/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Jews | 89.9% |
| • Arabs | 0.1% |
| • Others | 10% |
| Name meaning | First to Zion |
Rishon LeZion (Hebrew: רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן ⓘ, lit. "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain eight kilometres (5 mi) south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area.
Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were part of the First Aliyah, it was the first settlement founded in Israel by the New Yishuv and the second Jewish farm settlement established in Ottoman Syria in the 19th century, after Petah Tikva. As of 2017, it was the fourth-largest city in Israel, with a population of 260,453.
The city is a member of Forum 15, which is an association of fiscally autonomous cities in Israel that do not depend on national balancing or development grants.