Tel Aviv General Information
Tel Aviv is the second largest city in Israel after Jerusalem. It is on the Mediterranean coast, about 60 km north-west of Jerusalem and some 100 km south of Haifa.
The official name is Tel Aviv-Yafo and reflects the fact that the city has grown beside (and absorbed) the ancient port city of Yafo (Jaffa), to the south of the new city center, in addition to many other neighboring cities.
Tel Aviv is a rapidly growing city in the midst of an exciting transition from medium-sized urban center to bustling international metropolis. It’s the city that many Israelis think of as their New York. While the comparison was once a stretch – and indeed Tel Aviv is still a fraction of New York’s size – Tel Aviv’s booming population, energy, edginess and 24-hour life give the city a cosmopolitan flair comparable to few other cities in this part of the world.
Tel Aviv is not really divided into districts, but rather into over 50 different neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods are really distinctive areas with different cultures (e.g. Neve Tzedek, Florentin, Ramat-Ha’Chayal), while others are simply indicating a geographical area. Tel Aviv grew mainly from the south to the north so the further you go to the north you will encounter newer buildings and wealthier communities.
- North – The wealthiest district of Tel Aviv and one of the wealthiest in entire Israel stretches from the north side on the Yarkon River. These neighborhoods have very few things in common with the rest of Tel Aviv and are partially treated as Tel Aviv’s suburb rather than a part of the city. The entire district is very green in comparison to the rest of Tel Aviv and contains some big and important sites such as Hayarkon Park, Israel’s Museum, Tel Aviv University, and more.
- Center – The city’s center contains “The Heart of Tel Aviv” and “The old north”. The main metropolitan area of the city contains tourists attractions and shopping areas. This is Tel Aviv as most people know it nowadays. The central area is confined by Allenby Street from on the south and the Yarkon river from the north.
- South – The original District of Tel Aviv contains the first neighborhoods that constructed Tel Aviv. It is the poorer district of Tel Aviv but has been developing noticeably while conserving its style and history as many of its neighborhoods have become young and trendy.
- Jaffa (Yafo in Hebrew, Yaffa in Arabic) is one of the world’s oldest ports. It was here that the prophet Jonah started the journey that left him in the belly of a big fish (not a whale as is the common misconception!) and Andromeda was tied to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea monster, before later being saved by Perseus. It was also here where Peter the Apostle received a vision marking a significant ideological split between Judaism and Christianity (Acts 10).
Tel Aviv is a beta+ world city, alongside cities such as Barcelona and San Francisco. Known as “The City That Never Sleeps”, its beaches, parks, bars, cafés, restaurants, shopping, cosmopolitan lifestyle and 24-hour culture have made it a popular destination with over 1.5 million foreign tourists annually.
