Kiryat Ata

Infobox Israel municipality
name=Kiryat Ata


imgsize=
hebname=Hebrew|קִרְיַת אָתָא
arname=كريات آتا
meaning=
founded=
type=city
typefrom=1969
stdHeb=
altOffSp=Qiryat Ata
altUnoSp=Kiryat Ata
district=haifa
population=49,700
popyear=2007
area_dunam=16706
mayor=Yaakov Peretz

Kiryat Ata ( _he. קִרְיַת אָתָא; officially also spelled Qiryat Ata) is a city in the Haifa District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2007 the city had a total population of 49,700.Cite web|url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2009/table3.pdf|publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics|title=Table 3 - Population of Localities Numbering Above 1,000 Residents and Other Rural Population|date=2008-06-30|accessdate=2008-09-14] It is also still known by its former name of "Kfar Ata" ( _he. כְּפַר עָטָּה).

History

Archeological surveys at Khirbet Sharta in the northeast part of the city revealed traces of occupation dating to the Bronze, Iron, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Arabic eras.

In the early 20th century, the lands of the Arab village of Kofrita were purchased by a Warsaw religious foundation named "Avodat Israel" through intermediaries in the American Zion Commonwealth. Avodat Israel founded Kfar Ata in 1925, which eventually came to be called Kiryat Ata when in 1965 the village was merged with adjacent Kiryat Binyamin. During the 1929 riots the town was attacked and abandoned. A year later the residents returned and rebuilt the community. The town was known for its Ata textile factory, which was built in 1934 by Erich Moller and eventually closed in 1985. In 1969 the town was given city status.

Demographics

According to CBS, in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.8% Jewish and other non-Arabs, without significant Arab population. In 2001 there were 723 immigrant settlers. See Population groups in Israel.

According to CBS, in 2001 there were 23,700 males and 24,900 females. The population of the city was spread out with 31.4% 19 years of age or younger, 15.7% between 20 and 29, 18.5% between 30 and 44, 18.3% from 45 to 59, 4.1% from 60 to 64, and 11.9% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 0.8%.

Income

According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 17,236 salaried workers and 1,226 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is ILS 5,157, a real change of 4.8% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 6,759 (a real change of 4.6%) versus ILS 3,456 for females (a real change of 2.7%). The mean income for the self-employed is 6,470. There are 1,092 people who receive unemployment benefits and 4,153 people who receive an income guarantee.

Education

According to CBS, there are 20 schools and 8,762 students in the city. They are spread out as 14 elementary schools and 4,899 elementary school students, and 11 high schools and 3,863 high school students. 52.0% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001.

port

The city's main football club, Maccabi Ironi Kiryat Ata, plays in Liga Leumit, the second tier of Israeli football. The local basketball club, Elitzur Kiryat Ata, are in Ligat HaAl, the top division.

Notable residents

*Grand Rabbi Shimon Lemberger, of Makowa, father-in-law of the sole child of the Grand Rebbe of Belz.
*Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Rosenbaum of Kretchniff-Sighet.

References

External links

* [http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2007/table3.pdf CBS population estimates for 2005/2006]
*he icon [http://www.kiryat-ata.muni.il/ Municipality website]
*he icon [http://www.rishonim.org.il/kiryat-ata/show_item.asp?levelid=33785&itemid=161 Beit Fischer City Museum]