Hadera
This city is located 12 kilometers south
of Zichron
Ya'acov. It was established in 1891 and derives it's
name from the Arabic al-Khadra' ("the Green") -
a reference to the color of the swamp vegetation in the area.
The lands on which Hadera was established
were purchased by Yehoshua Hankin, who was known as the Redeemer
of the Valley.
Initially, this was a lonely outpost of just
10 families and 4 guards. But with time - others followed.
In addition to the type of regular hardships
encountered by settlers throughout Eretz
Israel - here the settlers had to contend with officials
of the hardnosed Turkish government. They also withstood
repeated attacks by local Bedouin tribes.
Settlers received permission to build the
first homes in 1896. They also started planting Eucalyptus
trees - to help dry the swamps. However, there was in fact
an outbreak of Malaria and most of the residents had no choice
but to leave. Many went to Jaffa.
In 1931 Hadera had 2002 residents. The
real growth period (for this city, which is located on the
coast, halfway between Tel-Aviv and Haifa)
came after the establishment of the state. In 2000 - the
city had a population of 80,000.
Sources: Copyright � 2002 Gems
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