KIRYAT ONO

KIRYAT ONO (Heb. קִריַת אוֹנוֹ), an urban settlement in central Israel, 5 mi. (8 km.) east of Tel Aviv. Founded in 1939 as a moshav by immigrants from European countries, Kiryat Ono (originally Kefar Ono) is named after the ancient site of ono , which is assumed to have been a few kilometers further south. The 40 founder families initially lived together with Arab Bedouins. The settlement, which numbered 377 inhabitants in 1948, expanded quickly when new immigrants, many of whom had entered the country on "illegal" ships, were housed in it. There were 6,530 inhabitants in 1951, 8,363 in 1961, and 14,200 in 1969. In 1992 Kiryat Ono received city status with an area of about 2 sq. mi. (5 sq. km.). In 2002 the population was 23,900. Kiryat Ono is principally a residential area on the border of the Tel Aviv conurbation, and economically dependent on the large city. (Shlomo Hasson / Shaked Gilboa (2nd ed.)