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Ramat Gan
Diamond Exchange Compound
Hebrew	רָמַת גַּן
Arabic	رمات جان
Name Meaning	Garden Heights
Founded in	1921
Government	City
District	Tel Aviv
Population	127,400 (2004)
Jurisdiction	12,214 dunams (12 km²)
Mayor	Zvi Bar

Ramat Gan (Hebrew: רָמַת גַּן‎) is a city in the Tel Aviv district, Israel, which borders the cities of Tel Aviv, Giv'atayim, and Bnei Brak. It houses Israel's national soccer stadium, Bar-Ilan University, an advanced medical center (Sheba Medical Center), and a national park. It is also the home of one of the world's major diamond exchanges, in which Israel's tallest building, the Moshe Aviv Tower, is located.

Ramat Gan was established in 1921 as a moshav, a communal settlement, with a focus on agriculture. After commercial and population expansion, it was declared a city in 1950. As of 2004, Ramat Gan had 127,400 residents, on an area of 12,000 dunams (12 km²). The population was growing at a rate of 0.7% per annum.

According the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, as of 2001, Ramat Gan's socioeconomic ranking stood at 8 out of 10 (high). 70.9% of twelfth grade students received a matriculation certificate in 2000. In that year, the average wages in Ramat Gan were 6,995 NIS.

Contents 1 History 2 The Diamond Exchange compound 3 Future plans 4 Twin cities 5 Born in Ramat Gan 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

When Ramat Gan was established in 1921 on land purchased in 1918, it was known as a moshav, a socialist-style Zionist settlement. Before the name Ramat Gan was coined in 1923, the settlement was called Ir Ganim (Hebrew: עיר גנים, meaning Garden City).

As the years passed, Ramat Gan shifted from an agriculture-based economy to a more commercial and urban settlement. In 1926, the British Mandate of Palestine recognized Ramat Gan as a local council.

In 1950, Ramat Gan was recognized by the nascent State of Israel as a city. The city infrastructure grew steadily, as new structures such as Sheba Medical Center, the national stadium, Bar Ilan University, and the Diamond Exchange were developed.

True to its name, 25% of Ramat Gan is covered by public parkland. The city also includes Kfar haMaccabiah where the Maccabiah Games, the Jewish Olympics, are held every 4 years.

This area, in the northwest of the city, is home to a large concentration of skyscrapers, including Moshe Aviv Tower (City Gate), Israel's tallest at over 240 meters, the Diamond Exchange (a world leader in fancy-cut diamonds), a large Sheraton hotel, and many high-tech businesses. The area was formerly a nightly center of prostitution and unlawful gambling, but in 2006, following a new law^[1], the police detained criminals related to prostitution and sex trafficking, and these activities disappeared^[2].

In March 2006, American property tycoon Donald Trump, announced plans to build what will become Israel's tallest building in the city. Trump Plaza Tower is a 70 story tower set to be built on the site of the historic Elite Candy factory. As a tribute to the history of the site, the lower floors of the tower are planned to house a chocolate museum. ^[3]. The tower is set to contain luxury apartments, with an average price tag of $1 million each.

• Strasbourg, France
• Kassel, Germany
• Weinheim, Germany
• Finchley, London, UK
• Phoenix, Arizona, USA
• Barnet, London, UK
• Mendoza, Argentina
• Wrocław, Poland
• Szombathely, Hungary
• San Isidro, Lima, Peru
• Marseille, France

• Tal Stricker (1979), Israeli breaststroke swimmer
• Ilan Ramon (1954), First Israeli Astronaut; died in the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster in 2003

• Hiriya - Old waste dump and location of advanced waste processing technology
• Zoological Center of Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan

• (English) Ramat-Gan municipal website
• (Hebrew) Ramat-Gan municipal website

Coordinates: 32°05′N, 34°49′E

v • d • e Tel Aviv District
Cities	Bat Yam · Bnei Brak · Giv'atayim · Herzliya · Holon · Kiryat Ono · Or Yehuda · Ramat Gan · Ramat HaSharon · Tel Aviv-Jaffa
Local councils	Azor · Kfar Shmaryahu
Regional councils	Ef'al