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Rehovot (; , ) is a city in the Center District of Israel, about 20 km south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2004 the city had a total population of 101,900. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000. Rehovot's mayor is Shuki Forer. The city is named after a biblical town of the same name (transliterated Rehoboth in the KJV Bible), which stood at a different location, in the Negev Desert.
History It was founded in 1890 by Polish Jews who wanted a township independent of the Baron Edmond de Rothschild's aid (and management). They named their settlement Rehovot (lit. 'wide expanses') based on Genesis 26:22. In 1906 they were joined by immigrants from Yemen. These early settlers worked hard to make Rehovot the prosperous town it is today. They planted vineyards, almond orchards and citrus groves. Rehovot has become one of Israel's main citrus centers, especially since nearby Ashdod opened its port in 1965. They withstood agricultural failures, plant diseases, marketing problems, and attack from hostile Arabs. Between 1914 and 1991 the population rose from 955 to 81,000, and the area of the town more than doubled. In 1995, there were an estimated 337,800 residents living in the greater Rehovot area. In 1932 an agricultural research station was transferred there from Tel Aviv; 30 years later it became the Department of Agriculture of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1934 Chaim Weizmann built the Sieff Institute in Rehovot, which later became the Weizmann Institute of Science. He and his wife are buried on the Institute's manicured grounds. Demographics According to CBS, in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.7% Jewish and other non-Arabs, without significant Arab population. In 2001 there were 715 immigrant settlers. See Population groups in Israel. According to CBS, in 2001 there were 47,300 males and 49,700 females. The population of the city was spread out with 32.4% 19 years of age or younger, 16.3% between 20 and 29, 17.5% between 30 and 44, 17.9% from 45 to 59, 3.9% from 60 to 64, and 12.0% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 2.1%. Income According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 35,521 salaried workers and 2,480 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is ILS 6,583, a real change of 8.1% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 8,479 (a real change of 6.7%) versus ILS 4,705 for females (a real change of 8.4%). The mean income for the self-employed is 7,954. There are 1,710 people who receive unemployment benefits and 7,468 people who receive an income guarantee. Education According to CBS, there are 53 schools and 19,879 students in the city. They are spread out as 29 elementary schools and 9,705 elementary school students, and 29 high schools and 10,174 high school students. 59.9% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001. Institutes of Higher Learning The city is home to the prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science and to the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. There are also a number of smaller junior colleges in Rehovot that provide specialized and technical training. In addition, Kaplan Hospital acts as an ancillary teaching hospital for the Medical School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Sister Cities | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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