Character and Identity: Known as 'Em HaMoshavot' (Mother of the Settlements), Petah Tikva is the original Jewish farming colony of modern Israel and today an industrial-tech anchor of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
National Role: Petah Tikva houses one of Israel's largest hospitals (Beilinson) and the regional R&D centers of IBM, Cisco, Teva, Strauss and Oracle in its Kiryat Aryeh, Em Hamoshavot and Segula districts.
Historical Development: Founded in 1878 by Jerusalem Jews who drained the marshes of the Yarkon, the city grew from a tiny moshava into a population of 250,000, second-largest in Tel Aviv District after Tel Aviv itself.
Interesting Fact: Petah Tikva is officially the first modern Jewish town in the Land of Israel - the cornerstone for the entire 19th-century First Aliyah movement.
Annual price growth: 5.5% · Forecast: positive · up
Area: Central Israel · city · Investment category: mid-range · Population: 250,000 · 92,000 apartments · 2,600 new units/year