Netanya

Netanya (Hebrew: נְתַנְיָה, lit., "gift of God"; Arabic: نتانيا‎) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is 30 km (18.64 mi) north of Tel Aviv, and 56 km (34.80 mi) south of Haifa, between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north. Netanya was named in honor of Nathan Straus, a prominent Jewish American merchant and philanthropist in the early 20th century.

Its 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) of beaches have made the city a popular tourist resort. In addition, the city is known for its large immigrant population. A significant percentage of the city's population consists of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, France, and Ethiopia, and the city is home to a notably large population of English-speaking immigrants from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2014 the city had a total population of 202,428. An additional 150,000 people live in the local and regional councils within 10 kilometres (6 miles) of Netanya which serves as a regional center for them. The city mayor is Miriam Feirberg. The city is expected to reach a population of 350,000 by 2020.