From a 1923 farming outpost to a high-end suburban enclave
In short: Once a quiet moshava of citrus groves and strawberry fields, Ramat HaSharon has transformed into a wealthy, highly desirable city. But beneath its modern boulevards and professional neighborhoods lie ancient traces of a Byzantine settlement and a history of deliberate, controlled growth.
Established in 1923 as Ir Shalom by immigrants from Poland, the settlement was built on 2,000 dunams of land purchased for just 5 Egyptian pounds per dunam. For decades, the community functioned as a farming village, with a population of only 312 recorded in the 1931 census. By 1932, it was renamed Kfar Ramat HaSharon, and the area remained primarily agricultural, famous for its citrus groves and strawberry fields until the 1960s.
The mid-20th century brought rapid expansion. Following a population rise to 900 by 1950, the 1960s and 1970s saw significant infrastructure development, including new schools, parks, and roadways. This era also saw the emergence of distinct neighborhoods like Morasha. By the 1980s, the town had become a prestigious destination for upper-middle-class families, characterized by wide boulevards and a reputation for safety. Interestingly, while the population exceeded 30,000 in the 1980s, local leaders preferred maintaining a local council designation to preserve the settlement's character, only officially gaining city status in 2002.
The land's history extends far beyond the 20th century. During August 2021, a team of archaeologists under Yoav Arbel's direction dug up an Early Islamic and Byzantine site at Khirbat el-‘Ora. The site revealed a mosaic-paved wine press and stone mortars used for grinding wheat, barley, and likely medicinal herbs. Among the finds was a gold coin featuring Emperor Heraclius and his two sons, alongside an image of the hill of Golgotha, providing a tangible link to the region's ancient Roman and Byzantine past.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Ramat HaSharon
- Also: Wikidata — Ramat HaSharon · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Ramat HaSharon · CC0
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